They're sitting in a nice spot where they are creatively free. They are a second party nintendo dev. So they have best of both worlds. Nintendo funds their projects then leaves them alone.
darsirious Maybe one day Nintendo will buy them and give them resources to do just that. But tbh, they’re good at their own IPs. I hope they just keep getting better at what they already do, with larger scale games. I’d love to see them make a $60 game
I also bought it the same day because of the DF review here and finished it in three days (12h). I instantly started a new game after that. It's just soo much fun and so gorgeous. Can't wait for the almost certain second part :)
Didn't know Shin'en were German, always assumed they were Japanese due to the name. Think John is based in Germany too right? Would be great to see a follow up to this vid with developer interviews, would that be possible?
Me too. I loved Shin'en games on portables - seeing solid 60fps on weak systems like Nanostray on DS blew my mind. Like, how in the world is this thing so buttery smooth? And then you go switch to a different 20fps game and suddenly everything else is disappointingly choppy.
@@ferofax Fast RMX is great, it became my go-to game any time I was waiting for something to download. Looks great and perfect for dipping into for a few minutes at a time.
I didn't even know there were other Shin'en fans in existence. Iridium 2 is one of my favorite games because of how good it looks and the amazing soundtrack. What they were able to do on the GBA was downright criminal.
@@DBGabriele Im interested in the game but lets be realistic here Awakening has more going on as another commenter mentions. I think I'll pick up Touryst today cuz I love Shinen and want to support them.
@@Manlyman47 The reason why Links Awakening on the switch has bad framerate is not because its more advanced than this game. Its because it was optimized horribly.
For such an in depth review of the game and developer this seemed like an odd oversight... figured someone else would have mentioned it... and probably a few times before.
Through artistic flair and talented coding, they are able to compensate for a lack of raw power. They never attempt something too ambitious and then mess it up as a result. I like it when a team of developers stick to what they do best instead of trying to reinvent the wheel. The efficiency of this game is nothing short of incredible. All of that content comes in at a mere 200mb!
This isn't the type of game I'd usually look at and think 'yes, I have to play this'. But, this fresh perspective has sort of changed that. It looks perfect for some laid back exploration/puzzle breaking for those times when I just can't be bothered to grind out a new weapon on Modern Warfare, or tune up the perfect vehicle on Forza.
@@duffman18 FZero was tough but stll accessible to most people. Fast RMX is not. As a comparison the Mario Kart 8 200CC cups are a cake walk compared to Fast RMX. I know as I can easily do 200CC but getting anywhere in Fast RMX is a struggle. Mario Kart tends to screw the player at the end with blue shells and the like. Fast RMX though is a constand struggle through the entire race. No BS there, just a constant difficulty that is much to hard for most people. Fast RMX is technically brilliant, but a few really dumb gameplay design choices made the game not that accessible. A shame really. The game has real potential. It's not the only Shin'en game to have this flaw. Quite a few of their games are not accessible as they should be. This is not a Dark Souls issue either. Dark Souls does hard in a totally different but better way. It lets your character grow as you die, assuming you periodically use the campfires to store your souls. Fast RMX is - git extremely gud or no progression for you. A fail doesn't give the player any experience or any more motivation to play. Failing will happen often there as it's an extremely tough game. The easy solution would be to add in an easy mode to unlock all the cups and vehicles that way or just unlock everything from the start so you can play everything and slowly get better at your facourite cups. Not everyone can make top 3 in each cup to unlock everything. I can't. I've unlocked like 20% of the game's content. I can get 4th in a few clus but no dice. 4th unlocks no new content. However if everything was already unlocked you could just go your bettering your PBs on each cup. For some, going from a 6th to a 5th on a certain cup could make them really happy as that's progress for them. Shin'en need to realise this. They need to learn that more accessibility for everyone to play their games is better than just hard games where you need a skill level most do not progress to unlock the majority of the content.
This is my favorite game studio. I had no idea they made this, and I am ashamed. We are literally looking at the formation of a AAA studio of old. Everything this company touches is awesome sauce.
As a PC/PS4 gamer, I watched this video when it was first uploaded, and thought: 'that looks gorgeous.' Yesterday, I bought a Switch Lite, and this was the first thing I played on it. It really is phenomenal if you like charming, laid back games. Perfect for before bed.
I was unaware that The Touryst existed. It looks very appealing. Thanks for the focus and analysis of the game, it is one more game that makes me want to finally pick up a Switch.
That entire surfing sequence reminds me of California Games on the NES! Seriously, I wasn't sure about this game at first - but of course a DF video sells me on it completely. Looks and plays beautifully!
It really is a fantastic game I got 100% on it last weekend. I’d say it’s like a Zelda game but it’s only the fun fetch quests and mini-games. The easy going atmosphere and relaxing gameplay really go make it feel like you’re on holiday like the main character. The only minor fly in the ointment is there’s one dungeon with some really annoying platforming and the camera doesn’t give you enough control to make it easy to tell where stuff is (in fact you can see that bit at 16:20). Other than that, it’s absolutely worth getting.
Jordan Starks I just booted up my save and it says 6 hours and 44 minutes (there are telephones everywhere which can tell you your playtime). It reckon a good hour of that was working out one of the last photos for the gallery though! 😅
I'm pretty sure the developers at the studio are like "FUCK - 3 dropped frames in our entire game?! BACK TO THE DRAWING BOARDS GUYS!!!". Damn, I don't even own a Switch but I kinda just wanna buy this game because I love what they did even back in their demo scene days. What a labor of heart and love and it really shows...
It being 231MB is the most impressive part. You *never* see games of this scale and visuals with file sizes that low. (Granted, not a long game but for a 2019 3D console release that has some substance to it, it's impressive) Though, I feel $20 is a *little* high priced for eShop IMO, $15 seems more adequate. If I had a switch I'd pay $30 for a physical copy though.
@@ph584 Because a lot of indies are usually a lot bigger than they should be. Like you have simple 2D pixel art games that are over a gig in size or more. Anyway small file size is Shin'ens specialty. Fast RMX is a game with modern 3D visuals, HD textures, and a good chunk of content and it's still underneath a gig. These are the same people that were putting out full proper 3D WiiWare games when no one else would (for context WiiWare titles were limited to a measly 40MB file size). They really know what they're doing.
It depends on how fun and how long the game is, i can see 20$ being perfectly fine for this game. Just because the filesize is small doesn't mean the game is small too, or worth less.
The arcade game at 11:53 is actually based off of an arcade game called Bomb Jack, which I've actually played. The thing that gave it away was how one dynamite in the chain is lit, where getting it will net you more points and light the next one, just like how the bombs work in Bomb Jack. Additionally, you have infinite jump height and must avoid enemies.
The team really took a refreshing approach to making this game by making it small, making run at constant fps. Especially considering that some games now take up 50 gb plus.
Since anyone's bothered commenting on how great production was in this video, I guess I'm going to do the honors. I think quality-wise this video is a delicacy, would even go as far as saying it's on par with a high quality documentary. Proud to see how far you guys have made it. I've always been somewhat of a quiet viewer but after this video I had to say something. Hope you guys hit one million subs soon, you deserve it. Best of luck.
You guys forgot to mention that Iridion II for the GBA allows you to change the instruments from the title screen theme in real time and make your own "mix" so to speak. I had seen Commodore 64 games do this but it was amazing to find such a thing on a GBA game of all places, it truly shows their demoscene roots.
11:56 "its basically pacman meets jetpack" you mean like,BOMBJACK, the game that was in the arcades in the 80's, from which this game takes inspiration?
Same. Initially I had same impressions on this game as the title suggests. Well, maybe not GOTY, but certainly something special. Great to see this game appears to live up to that impression.
I have the fondest memories playing Iridion 2 on the GBA (made by the same studio). Fast RMX was my second Switch game I got and thoroughly enjoyed. I need to give this a try as well
I think DF is a great platform for shining a light some of these smaller games who excel technically and design wise. Its not an area many outlets have as their main focus but sits excellently with the scope of DF content. I
you can tell they are old skool programmers. getting the most performance out of there code while keeping a small file size. i'm sure others will say "why don't they make games for more powerful hardware?" but i think that since their background is in the demo scene they enjoy eking out impressive visuals and performance from limited hardware. i think they enjoy the challenge and that's why they've mainly focused on nintendo hardware
One of my all-time favorite developers, simply for the fact that their programming, optimization techniques, sound and art design are always top notch.
The simplistic geometry of assets and the top down birds eye view and large quantities of simplistic textures obviously greatly reduces gpu load, allowing them to put horsepower into rendering effects and maintaining a steady framerate. Thats probably a big reason why the game shines in framerate and rendering effects in a way not typically seen in many Switch games.
Yup. But it works, and is another example of why you don't absolutely need incredible budgets and big numbers to get something this visually pleasing. (Probably said a million times before)
Seriously? You'd replace Link's Awakening and not Death Stranding from the art direction nominees? What about Death Stranding says "amazing art direction", it just looks graphically great, but it's just real life with some extras.
TessellatedGuy The technical aspect is part of the consideration for that category. Death Stranding is technically impressive. Link’s Awakening is kinda rubbish in that regard, so it’s basically just a worse version of what Shin’en is doing here with The Touryst
@@TexelGuy are you kidding me? EVERYTHING in death stranding says amazing art design.....the whole game is like OMG ZE ART! Did we play the same death stranding?
The glowing review already sold me, but also being a huge fan of Fez and the strong Fez-like vibes this is giving off, I gotta buy this game. Great video!
Old, well-maintained CRTs probably look nicer than Shin'en's CRT filter, but a nearby laundromat here has a very worn out Tekken 3 cab that looks a lot like that when you actually see it in person.
Link's Awakening was a beautiful game indeed but my god shinen could've perfected it. It lacked the polish of previous Nintendo titles like Splatoon 2 and Odyssey, which was disappointing.
H.F Gaming I have a launch day Switch that struggles to maintain even a mediocre 30fps on Link’s Awakening, while this game runs like a dream on the Switch. LA runs better on my Switch Lite, but remains a bad experience on the launch Switch for some reason.
@@ThoughTMusic Is this docked? I have a launch day switch that is in rough condition cosmetically but runs L.A fine. However my system is noticeably crashing alot more often then it did when I first got it, and having other related issues. I think the launch switch systems are starting to deteriorate both cosmetically due to the poorly designed casing and performance-wise.
I don't know if you touched upon this in the video, but the arcade games seem to constantly run on the monitors in the arcade; even if you stop playing them the games continue to run on the little arcade cabinets, meaning you can't simply rage quit and quickly reset the games.
I fucking love games like this. Simple, minimal, exploration types. I just got this game last night, and here I am at 5:AM, finally going to go to sleep. I love this game
@@VariantAEC Depends on what you look at. Sure this game has simple visuals, but ~200MB is impressive. No game should require 100-150gb of disk space. That is straight up lazy optimization born from the idea that hardware is capable enough to counteract incompetence. In that case, some triple a studios do indeed look like a joke.
@@autumnalgloom5360 More space is required for more intricate models with explicit detail. You can save tons of space using procedurally generated content, but that reduces artist control. Last I checked games like Resogun were also under 5GB but they also arranged millions of independent voxels in explicit ways. This game uses pseudo voxel aesthetic derived from polygonal shapes which take up far less space in general and the play space is likely built from larger pieces in an explicit way. Minecraft is 185MB on mobile. Riptide: Renegade is 190MB There's plenty of games that rely on procedural generation already and have loads of content. Most games on PS1 were much smaller than the 700mb capacity that CDs offered Spyro was about 370MB including music WipEout Pure on PSP was under 300MB on PSP. We had to do a lot with much less on those systems. Obviously games like Iridion had to fit on the 256MB GBA cartridges. I also pointed out in another thread games like DRIVECLUB which weigh in at 20-ish GB with all DLC even but that game is far more impressive and while it runs at 30hz it is locked at 30hz too while being an early PS4 title that was still improved greatly after launching with lightweight patches. Some of the heavier patches also replaced code from the original release or from previous patches. The result was a fully working game on disc to start with that weighed much less about 13GB if memory serves and a lot less content including unique real life cars and entire regions which are also based on real locations and cannot exist via procedural generation. Heavy games sometimes are heavy for a reason. Sometimes they are heavy without a real reason. Look at Marvel's Spider-Man that game had to store multiple instances of the same content in different places on the HDD for streaming purposes to limit that and save space Insomniac decided to keep some things like a low poly version of the overworld map loaded in at all times and place some key instanced details stored in RAM at all times! Insomniac Games discusses this in detail on GDC's RUclips Channel. There is sometimes not much you can do about streaming in details however and the more realistic and diverse your world is the more space is needed to store individual models textures and the more space is needed to store all the data about where all those individual things will be placed in any said level. You'd understand that if you worked in the field or deal with 3D animation. I do so as a hobby and the things that eat up space are predetermined. Else wise you need a lot of power to push beyond the limits of making things work in a specific way. For example the water animation in Uncharted 3's sinking ship scene is a predetermined animation mesh and these take up a lot of space, but it takes far less processing power to run an animation cycle than to render out the physics of a water sim. In fact this is still something that cannot be done (as seen in U3) on the most powerful PCs in real time using physics. But all those individual key frames for that animated mesh takes up a lot of space! That water animation might be close to or over 100MB by itself. Is it not impressive because it took up the space when you know the effect simply can't be done if you didn't use that space at all?
Shin'en would make an incredible first party Nintendo studio.
I wonder why Nitendo haven't bought them already. They could make a new F-Zero for example.
@@V3ntilator Maybe they want to stay independent.
Not everyone wants to be bought. If they're doing well monetarily they might enjoy their independence
I was thinking the exact same thing. I'd love to see what they could do with a proper big budget
They're sitting in a nice spot where they are creatively free. They are a second party nintendo dev. So they have best of both worlds. Nintendo funds their projects then leaves them alone.
As usual, John let's his passion and enthusiasm shine again for this game. Now I gotta play it
You could say his passion is Shin'en..
if there is a developer that deserves to make an f-zero game is this one.
darsirious Maybe one day Nintendo will buy them and give them resources to do just that. But tbh, they’re good at their own IPs. I hope they just keep getting better at what they already do, with larger scale games. I’d love to see them make a $60 game
Even just doing a port of GX with online added and the arcade tracks included would be enough for me.
@@abelperez1434 gx has the arcade tracks, you just need to git gud to buy them
@@chimingito I remember you can unlock them but just have them available from the beginning. I should still have my save file somewhere.
Fast RMX plays nothing like an F-Zero game. They would have to severely alter their physics and racing game concepts to do a true F-Zero.
After watching your review I was sold on this game... $20 price tag downloading as I type thank you for shedding light on such a beautiful game...
Gotta wait till my next pay check! Short wait.
@@KarcusKorpse same I can get it at Christmas
I also bought it the same day because of the DF review here and finished it in three days (12h). I instantly started a new game after that. It's just soo much fun and so gorgeous. Can't wait for the almost certain second part :)
Is the game any good?
Shin'en is a phenomenal developper. They've always been. This game is just a confirmation of the greatness of the studio.
German developer, demoscene history, big emphasis on well optimized cutting edge technology. I smell a portable Factor 5 developer.
Never heard of this game. Guess i'm buying it though.
Yes, please...
What I'm thinking lol it looks sick
This video alone sold it for me
You’d be surprised how many fantastic games fly under the radar! They’re usually mistaken for shovel ware.
Same here, will buy.
I wish the gaming industry had more developers like this.
The second Arcade game is almost exactly Bomb Jack.
Dave Nice I was about to say that!! It is clearly an nod to the classic BombJack arcade game 🙂
'Pac Man meets Jet Pac'? I've never been so insulted!
There's at least one Bombjack game on NES online too
omg! im glad someone else poted this.... how do you not know bombjack
"Pacman meets Jetpack".... LOL. Bombjack is exploding in anger from my Zx Spectrum...
Didn't know Shin'en were German, always assumed they were Japanese due to the name. Think John is based in Germany too right? Would be great to see a follow up to this vid with developer interviews, would that be possible?
Me too. I loved Shin'en games on portables - seeing solid 60fps on weak systems like Nanostray on DS blew my mind. Like, how in the world is this thing so buttery smooth? And then you go switch to a different 20fps game and suddenly everything else is disappointingly choppy.
@@ferofax Fast RMX is great, it became my go-to game any time I was waiting for something to download. Looks great and perfect for dipping into for a few minutes at a time.
@@alexperaza9475 Fast RMX on the Switch is unbelievable. It's a wonder Nintendo didn't hit them up and offer them a F-Zero project.
I didn't even know there were other Shin'en fans in existence. Iridium 2 is one of my favorite games because of how good it looks and the amazing soundtrack. What they were able to do on the GBA was downright criminal.
Shin'en are from Munich and they are really great on Nintendo Hardware.
Thank you for highlighting this game! I would have never known about it! Looks so dope!
Great video.
Yes, this looks amazing and makes me want to play every game by this company.
Imagine if Link’s Awakening runs this well.
Awakening is a fair bit more advanced than this game in terms of what the Switch has to calculate.
@@Manlyman47 Actually, no.
This game is like those cool looking walking simulators on big consoles or pc. Nothing to be amazed.
@@DBGabriele Im interested in the game but lets be realistic here Awakening has more going on as another commenter mentions. I think I'll pick up Touryst today cuz I love Shinen and want to support them.
@@Manlyman47 The reason why Links Awakening on the switch has bad framerate is not because its more advanced than this game. Its because it was optimized horribly.
Demo scene people = Programming Gods.
That is the ABSOLUTE truth. Its like they have cheat codes to digital reality
Why? Can you explain?
It's good to see Ace Ventura Pet Detective got a Switch game. I did't expect that he'd grow a mustache though.
"Pacman meets Jetpac" is BombJack, a fantastic game.
Was going to say..
jumped to comments for the exact same comment! God I feel old...
In addition, the surfing looks like an homage to California Games.
For such an in depth review of the game and developer this seemed like an odd oversight... figured someone else would have mentioned it... and probably a few times before.
Warthog 2K mentioning California games makes you old haha and me recognising it eh eh time to go haha
11:50 this is a take on Bombjack, a popular 80s arcade game
fun fact, shinen(深淵) is Japanese for Abyss.
That IS a fun fact. Thank you.
people at Shin'en always have been optimization gods
Through artistic flair and talented coding, they are able to compensate for a lack of raw power. They never attempt something too ambitious and then mess it up as a result. I like it when a team of developers stick to what they do best instead of trying to reinvent the wheel.
The efficiency of this game is nothing short of incredible. All of that content comes in at a mere 200mb!
Optimization by making everything super low count polygons. Let's pretend D°°M 2016 wasn't a thing.
@@allfornaught0 you're missing the point here but ok
@@JackFrost-1856 nah. The point is actually spot on. You can leave now.
Doug no. You’re quite off mate
This isn't the type of game I'd usually look at and think 'yes, I have to play this'. But, this fresh perspective has sort of changed that.
It looks perfect for some laid back exploration/puzzle breaking for those times when I just can't be bothered to grind out a new weapon on Modern Warfare, or tune up the perfect vehicle on Forza.
Omg pls remake mother/earthbound series with this engine.
Zaki Dela Rosa this person gets it ^^
Look up oddity
I'm a huge fan of this low-poly cubeworld-esque style, I feel like if you want to make something simple and cheap, yet effective this is the way to.
Absolutely! For some reason I also find that style to be super immersive for some reason.
Except as explained in the video making this game is neither cheap nor simple.
@@lonewolf3314 comparatively speaking low poly and low res is obviously cheaper and easier than its opposite.
@@lonewolf3314 they even mention how easily you can "carve" unique designs while they show you the magicalvoxel editor 🤔
@@lizarinorv2826 When they show a voxel editor? I only recall seeing the instrument editor for the arcade games.
Edit: NVM, scrubbed through again.
It would not be such a surprise, Shin'en is so powerful. Fast RMX was an Amazing game for me. Well... You just sold me the game actually :0
Fast RMX is actually not that good of a game . . . but not for a reason most might realise. If you've not played the game you probably won't realise.
@@the8thark I own Fast RMX and really enjoy it, it's the current gen version of F Zero. So what's so bad about it?
@@duffman18 I enjoy it too, nice difficulty options, however I miss achievements :/ but that's off topic I know
@@duffman18
FZero was tough but stll accessible to most people. Fast RMX is not. As a comparison the Mario Kart 8 200CC cups are a cake walk compared to Fast RMX. I know as I can easily do 200CC but getting anywhere in Fast RMX is a struggle.
Mario Kart tends to screw the player at the end with blue shells and the like. Fast RMX though is a constand struggle through the entire race. No BS there, just a constant difficulty that is much to hard for most people.
Fast RMX is technically brilliant, but a few really dumb gameplay design choices made the game not that accessible. A shame really. The game has real potential. It's not the only Shin'en game to have this flaw. Quite a few of their games are not accessible as they should be.
This is not a Dark Souls issue either. Dark Souls does hard in a totally different but better way. It lets your character grow as you die, assuming you periodically use the campfires to store your souls. Fast RMX is - git extremely gud or no progression for you. A fail doesn't give the player any experience or any more motivation to play. Failing will happen often there as it's an extremely tough game.
The easy solution would be to add in an easy mode to unlock all the cups and vehicles that way or just unlock everything from the start so you can play everything and slowly get better at your facourite cups.
Not everyone can make top 3 in each cup to unlock everything. I can't. I've unlocked like 20% of the game's content. I can get 4th in a few clus but no dice. 4th unlocks no new content. However if everything was already unlocked you could just go your bettering your PBs on each cup. For some, going from a 6th to a 5th on a certain cup could make them really happy as that's progress for them.
Shin'en need to realise this. They need to learn that more accessibility for everyone to play their games is better than just hard games where you need a skill level most do not progress to unlock the majority of the content.
@@the8thark git gud noob
The production value on this video is amazing. Well paced, and surprisingly atmospheric.
I'll be picking this game up off the strength of your video
This is my favorite game studio. I had no idea they made this, and I am ashamed. We are literally looking at the formation of a AAA studio of old. Everything this company touches is awesome sauce.
Link's awakening has similar visuals as this game (including the shallow depth of field) yet constantly drops frames.
Nintendo should hire Shin'en
As a PC/PS4 gamer, I watched this video when it was first uploaded, and thought: 'that looks gorgeous.'
Yesterday, I bought a Switch Lite, and this was the first thing I played on it. It really is phenomenal if you like charming, laid back games. Perfect for before bed.
I was unaware that The Touryst existed. It looks very appealing. Thanks for the focus and analysis of the game, it is one more game that makes me want to finally pick up a Switch.
That entire surfing sequence reminds me of California Games on the NES! Seriously, I wasn't sure about this game at first - but of course a DF video sells me on it completely. Looks and plays beautifully!
We he said "let's dive in" and the character did at the same time . I thought that was cute.
Every time DF reviews a game, they make it sound juicy and I end up buying it . Stop it!
Any regrets yet?
poopikins Yeah I wanna know too
It really is a fantastic game I got 100% on it last weekend. I’d say it’s like a Zelda game but it’s only the fun fetch quests and mini-games. The easy going atmosphere and relaxing gameplay really go make it feel like you’re on holiday like the main character. The only minor fly in the ointment is there’s one dungeon with some really annoying platforming and the camera doesn’t give you enough control to make it easy to tell where stuff is (in fact you can see that bit at 16:20). Other than that, it’s absolutely worth getting.
How long is the game good sir?
Jordan Starks I just booted up my save and it says 6 hours and 44 minutes (there are telephones everywhere which can tell you your playtime).
It reckon a good hour of that was working out one of the last photos for the gallery though! 😅
Purchased cause of this. Thanks DF!
I’d be interested to hear your take!
Weird to someone buy a game thanks to Digital Foundry. That explains why everyone hates Daemon X Machina : no DF video
Nice
Thank you for bringing attention to this, you just sold me on it.
I'm always excited to see what this small but passionate team comes up with.
I've never heard of this studio but their games are so beautiful on every platform they've worked on. That is so impressive for GBA.
I'm pretty sure the developers at the studio are like "FUCK - 3 dropped frames in our entire game?! BACK TO THE DRAWING BOARDS GUYS!!!".
Damn, I don't even own a Switch but I kinda just wanna buy this game because I love what they did even back in their demo scene days. What a labor of heart and love and it really shows...
I've had my eyes on this title since I randomly spotted it on the eShop - this video gave me that last little nudge I need to hit Purchase.
It being 231MB is the most impressive part. You *never* see games of this scale and visuals with file sizes that low. (Granted, not a long game but for a 2019 3D console release that has some substance to it, it's impressive)
Though, I feel $20 is a *little* high priced for eShop IMO, $15 seems more adequate. If I had a switch I'd pay $30 for a physical copy though.
Why not? File size depends mostly on the quality of textures. This games features no complex textures at all, it looks gorgeous nonetheless
@@ph584 Because a lot of indies are usually a lot bigger than they should be. Like you have simple 2D pixel art games that are over a gig in size or more.
Anyway small file size is Shin'ens specialty. Fast RMX is a game with modern 3D visuals, HD textures, and a good chunk of content and it's still underneath a gig. These are the same people that were putting out full proper 3D WiiWare games when no one else would (for context WiiWare titles were limited to a measly 40MB file size). They really know what they're doing.
It depends on how fun and how long the game is, i can see 20$ being perfectly fine for this game. Just because the filesize is small doesn't mean the game is small too, or worth less.
Nice video. This ex-Amiga dev needs to package and license the engine. Amazing work. Talent is 💯🔥👍🏆🥇
This is like a sequel to 3D Dot Game Heroes that I didn't know I wanted.
Less than 300mb? I can’t even export a picture less than that. Lol
Imagine a 2.5D zelda game by these guys.
The arcade game at 11:53 is actually based off of an arcade game called Bomb Jack, which I've actually played. The thing that gave it away was how one dynamite in the chain is lit, where getting it will net you more points and light the next one, just like how the bombs work in Bomb Jack. Additionally, you have infinite jump height and must avoid enemies.
The team really took a refreshing approach to making this game by making it small, making run at constant fps. Especially considering that some games now take up 50 gb plus.
The 2nd mini-arcade game, resembles "mighty bomb jack" arcade game, more than "pac-man meets jet pack"
Even ignoring the visuals (which are stunning) the game looks really deep. Besides, under 300mb for all that! amazing.
I'd love to see Pokemon game made using this engine/artstyle
Pokemon Quest has a pretty similar artstyle
Same tbh
No
@@hanafi0131 Ok boss!
/s
Makes me want 3D Dot Game Heroes on the Switch..... 🤔
Since anyone's bothered commenting on how great production was in this video, I guess I'm going to do the honors. I think quality-wise this video is a delicacy, would even go as far as saying it's on par with a high quality documentary. Proud to see how far you guys have made it. I've always been somewhat of a quiet viewer but after this video I had to say something. Hope you guys hit one million subs soon, you deserve it. Best of luck.
Nintendo, hire those guys to make a game of a first party franchise such as Zelda or FZERO
Zelda is being handled just fine internally.
@@victorko9627 *Zelda 1 pixelated remake
They’d be absolutely perfect choice for a new FZERO given their awesome Fast RMX Racing game 👍
@Machete Lucius performance on Link’s Awakening is a joke.
@@neverends89 Developed by Grezzo tho.
Ive been considering getting a Switch, primarily for Mario Kart, but presentation like this game makes that decision more of a reality.
Beautiful aesthetics, Depth of Field, under 300mb AND stable 60 FPS? and Link's Awakening still hasn't got a framerate fix patch....
You guys forgot to mention that Iridion II for the GBA allows you to change the instruments from the title screen theme in real time and make your own "mix" so to speak.
I had seen Commodore 64 games do this but it was amazing to find such a thing on a GBA game of all places, it truly shows their demoscene roots.
11:56 "its basically pacman meets jetpack"
you mean like,BOMBJACK, the game that was in the arcades in the 80's, from which this game takes inspiration?
I just bought it and I love how this game looks! The atmosphere reminds me of old adventure games, and so does gameplay
They really did a great job, well done Shin'en!
I almost forgot that this game existed
Same. Initially I had same impressions on this game as the title suggests. Well, maybe not GOTY, but certainly something special. Great to see this game appears to live up to that impression.
11:57 "It's basically pac-man meets jetpack"
It's Bomb Jack...
I forgot Nanostray was from Shinen.
Explains why it's so great.
I have the fondest memories playing Iridion 2 on the GBA (made by the same studio). Fast RMX was my second Switch game I got and thoroughly enjoyed. I need to give this a try as well
The most interesting game I've seen in a long time
Looks awesome. Makes me wish this engine was used for links Awakening
That's the first thing that came to mind as soon as I booted this up.
We may have gotten a stable 60fps in LA then...
Zelda 1 remake hype!
I think many of us had that thought :)
And especially for Breath of the wild that can't even keep a stable 30 and still isn't fixed.
what a technical marvel! why isnt anyone except DF talking about it?
I think DF is a great platform for shining a light some of these smaller games who excel technically and design wise. Its not an area many outlets have as their main focus but sits excellently with the scope of DF content. I
i cant wait to play this on the series x. its native 6k supersampled down to 4k and i think they can pull off 120hz.
This looks like a must-buy. Definitely gonna pick it up soon!
09:54 They kept a dot at the bottom, so players won't get confused about the character's position, nice
Playing this on a late rainy night with a hot cup of tea of tea sounds so relaxing
Wait this is by the same people that made Fast RMX?! Instant buy.
16:12 I was thinking about FEZ since the first second
you can tell they are old skool programmers. getting the most performance out of there code while keeping a small file size. i'm sure others will say "why don't they make games for more powerful hardware?" but i think that since their background is in the demo scene they enjoy eking out impressive visuals and performance from limited hardware. i think they enjoy the challenge and that's why they've mainly focused on nintendo hardware
One of my all-time favorite developers, simply for the fact that their programming, optimization techniques, sound and art design are always top notch.
That island seems like a total sausage fest
Reminds me of the ps3 game, 3D Dot Game Heroes. Which should be re-released.
John is my favorite DF reviewer, his passion and enthusiasm are always contagious, definitely gonna get this game, it looks awesome.
I wasn't expecting a huge file size, but only 231 MB? That's crazy.
this game deserves WAY more praise than what zelda link's awakening remake had
@Bitchyougottrolled who's talking about gba?
Assassin's Creed: The Rebel Collection?
The simplistic geometry of assets and the top down birds eye view and large quantities of simplistic textures obviously greatly reduces gpu load, allowing them to put horsepower into rendering effects and maintaining a steady framerate. Thats probably a big reason why the game shines in framerate and rendering effects in a way not typically seen in many Switch games.
Yup. But it works, and is another example of why you don't absolutely need incredible budgets and big numbers to get something this visually pleasing. (Probably said a million times before)
Art of balance has brought me and my family together for years from the Wii U to the Switch. So simple but so good!
The Weekend at Bernies game that we never got.
This should’ve been nominated for art direction at this year’s Game Awards instead of Link’s Awakening
Seriously? You'd replace Link's Awakening and not Death Stranding from the art direction nominees? What about Death Stranding says "amazing art direction", it just looks graphically great, but it's just real life with some extras.
TessellatedGuy The technical aspect is part of the consideration for that category. Death Stranding is technically impressive. Link’s Awakening is kinda rubbish in that regard, so it’s basically just a worse version of what Shin’en is doing here with The Touryst
@@TexelGuy are you kidding me? EVERYTHING in death stranding says amazing art design.....the whole game is like OMG ZE ART! Did we play the same death stranding?
@@YayWalterSullivan Graphics =/= Art. That's the dumbest shit I've read.
@@ApenBaard Compare Death Stranding to Touryst (Or Link's Awakening), now tell me which game has a more distinctive art style.
11:50 That's a wink towards Bomb Jack 👌 Used to play it on the Commodore 64 back in the 80's
The glowing review already sold me, but also being a huge fan of Fez and the strong Fez-like vibes this is giving off, I gotta buy this game. Great video!
Didn't even know this game was out, music and art style give me a melancholy 80s cyperpunk feel. Definitely buying this
Cyberpunk? How the hell does this game set in a tropical island give you a Cyberpunk feel?
@@kabusohikaru6187 The music
@@riahisama cyberpunk is a genre of science fiction, not a genre of music
@@kabusohikaru6187 False, you tried being a smartass and failed miserably
@@riahisama cyberpunk is not a genre of music, it's very simple. You can't even spell "Cyperpunk" correctly
Beautiful exclusive only on Switch
Old, well-maintained CRTs probably look nicer than Shin'en's CRT filter, but a nearby laundromat here has a very worn out Tekken 3 cab that looks a lot like that when you actually see it in person.
>entire game is less than 240mb
That is some incredible optimisation right there
This is enough to make me buy this game. Thank you Digital Foundry!
This is the studio that should have made Link’s Awakening.
They could of easily fixed the performance issues while still looking the same
Link's Awakening was a beautiful game indeed but my god shinen could've perfected it. It lacked the polish of previous Nintendo titles like Splatoon 2 and Odyssey, which was disappointing.
H.F Gaming I have a launch day Switch that struggles to maintain even a mediocre 30fps on Link’s Awakening, while this game runs like a dream on the Switch. LA runs better on my Switch Lite, but remains a bad experience on the launch Switch for some reason.
@@ThoughTMusic Is this docked? I have a launch day switch that is in rough condition cosmetically but runs L.A fine. However my system is noticeably crashing alot more often then it did when I first got it, and having other related issues. I think the launch switch systems are starting to deteriorate both cosmetically due to the poorly designed casing and performance-wise.
@@HavenMarches My launch day switch dock mode died, I had to buy a V2 switch and a lite
I don't know if you touched upon this in the video, but the arcade games seem to constantly run on the monitors in the arcade; even if you stop playing them the games continue to run on the little arcade cabinets, meaning you can't simply rage quit and quickly reset the games.
I fucking love games like this. Simple, minimal, exploration types. I just got this game last night, and here I am at 5:AM, finally going to go to sleep. I love this game
Those guys make most of the huge triple a studios look like a joke.
Respect.
On GBA and DS, yes!
On Wii U, Switch and other platforms... Not yet.
@@VariantAEC Depends on what you look at. Sure this game has simple visuals, but ~200MB is impressive. No game should require 100-150gb of disk space. That is straight up lazy optimization born from the idea that hardware is capable enough to counteract incompetence. In that case, some triple a studios do indeed look like a joke.
@@autumnalgloom5360
More space is required for more intricate models with explicit detail. You can save tons of space using procedurally generated content, but that reduces artist control. Last I checked games like Resogun were also under 5GB but they also arranged millions of independent voxels in explicit ways. This game uses pseudo voxel aesthetic derived from polygonal shapes which take up far less space in general and the play space is likely built from larger pieces in an explicit way.
Minecraft is 185MB on mobile.
Riptide: Renegade is 190MB
There's plenty of games that rely on procedural generation already and have loads of content. Most games on PS1 were much smaller than the 700mb capacity that CDs offered Spyro was about 370MB including music WipEout Pure on PSP was under 300MB on PSP.
We had to do a lot with much less on those systems. Obviously games like Iridion had to fit on the 256MB GBA cartridges.
I also pointed out in another thread games like DRIVECLUB which weigh in at 20-ish GB with all DLC even but that game is far more impressive and while it runs at 30hz it is locked at 30hz too while being an early PS4 title that was still improved greatly after launching with lightweight patches. Some of the heavier patches also replaced code from the original release or from previous patches. The result was a fully working game on disc to start with that weighed much less about 13GB if memory serves and a lot less content including unique real life cars and entire regions which are also based on real locations and cannot exist via procedural generation.
Heavy games sometimes are heavy for a reason. Sometimes they are heavy without a real reason. Look at Marvel's Spider-Man that game had to store multiple instances of the same content in different places on the HDD for streaming purposes to limit that and save space Insomniac decided to keep some things like a low poly version of the overworld map loaded in at all times and place some key instanced details stored in RAM at all times!
Insomniac Games discusses this in detail on GDC's RUclips Channel.
There is sometimes not much you can do about streaming in details however and the more realistic and diverse your world is the more space is needed to store individual models textures and the more space is needed to store all the data about where all those individual things will be placed in any said level.
You'd understand that if you worked in the field or deal with 3D animation. I do so as a hobby and the things that eat up space are predetermined. Else wise you need a lot of power to push beyond the limits of making things work in a specific way. For example the water animation in Uncharted 3's sinking ship scene is a predetermined animation mesh and these take up a lot of space, but it takes far less processing power to run an animation cycle than to render out the physics of a water sim. In fact this is still something that cannot be done (as seen in U3) on the most powerful PCs in real time using physics. But all those individual key frames for that animated mesh takes up a lot of space! That water animation might be close to or over 100MB by itself.
Is it not impressive because it took up the space when you know the effect simply can't be done if you didn't use that space at all?
Dies this have a physical release?
I hope John has an idea of how important his approach to games journalism /tech analysis is. These guys are
Historians
Not sure why I haven't seen more places talking about this game. For $19.99, I'll definitely be checking it out.
Give these guys the next isometric Zelda game, Nintendo!
This game looks great, I’m downloading it right now
It's honestly one of the best looking games this gen. It's stunning
"So let's dive in" Great transition :)