Matt Hughson is a games developer currently working at The Coalition Studio which is famous for its work on the Gears of War series. And while that is an impressive achievement in itself, Matt has also released two NES games and is currently working on his third. “I’m a professional game developer by trade, but on the side, I’ve always dabbled in indie game development.” He explains. “My games always leaned towards retro aesthetics and more authentic to the eras they replicated. Eventually, these self-imposed restrictions became close enough to retro console development that the leap to actual homebrew game development wasn’t so big. I then discovered The Assembly Line, a podcast focused on NES homebrew and the people who make them. It showed me what is possible, and helped me realise that I had a lot of the skills needed to make my own NES games.”
Matt has a fondness for the NES that goes way back to his 80s childhood when he grew up playing Nintendo’s iconic console. “I was born in 1982 and grew up with the NES as a cornerstone of my childhood,” Matt says with excitement. “It was more than just a gaming system, it influenced everything from the movies and TV shows I watched to the cereal I ate. The NES had a profound impact on me that no other system ever matched. On top of this nostalgia, it’s also simple enough that a single person can reasonably understand and develop it. I also like that the graphics are retro enough that they wouldn’t easily be mistaken for a modern pixel art game.”
For his latest NES release, Super Sunny World, Matt has set a challenge of developing the entire game in 30 days. This is a tough task and Matt explains that “I like to give myself small, but achievable goals. The short development time has a few benefits as it sets expectations for the player. With only 30 days, I think it’s obvious that this isn’t going to be a massive game. However, I do hope to pleasantly surprise the player with how much is in there. The aim is to develop a game on the scale of Super Mario Bros 1. On the developer side, the short timeline becomes a way to manage scope. Certain things might be tempting to squeeze in, but with just four weeks, only the most critical things will cut. Lastly, it’s just a fun gimmick to get people to join in and follow along with the development.”
Luckily for Matt, he has enlisted the help of two fellow NES developers that are also up for the challenge. “Kenneth Fejer, an experienced creative director, is doing all the pixel art for the game. He also worked on my NES game, Witch n’ Wiz. Valen, a young developer and chiptune composer, is composing the music and sound effects for the game. She and I worked together on my upcoming Game Boy game, From Below Pocket. I can imagine this group expanding over the month, so I’d encourage readers to check out the final credits in the game for a full list of contributors.”
Super Sunny World pays homage to Mario and Matt feels that “the NES Mario games are some of the best platformers ever created. The amazing thing to me is that most modern platformers still fall short of what those games did over 30 years ago. With all of the advancements in design principles and game engine technology, games often struggle to nail the basics of what those games did so well. For example, look at the pipes, such a basic thing in Mario. Some pipes lead to secret areas, while others don’t, and the whole world is littered with them. It gives the world a feeling that there are secrets all around you, hidden in plain sight. Every corner is worth exploring; you never know what you might find. Destructible bricks are another simple trope that adds an element of risk and reward by hiding the secrets inside the actual platforms needed to explore the level. There are a half dozen things like these that many games look for in a Mario clone, but tend to get missed.”
As with any small development team, the challenges mount up and Matt has been up against them. “The two challenges that scare me the most are the performance of the NES processor and the overall level design. Super Sunny World will be the most processor-intensive game I’ve written for the NES and I’m already hitting a slowdown on the project. Fixing performance bottlenecks can be very time-consuming. The level design, it’s something I don’t enjoy, and the idea of cranking out 32 levels in the last week of the project is daunting. It often requires lots of iteration as well, which I won’t have time for. I know that even if the art, sound and gameplay are great, poorly designed levels will bring the whole project down.”
Super Sunny World is also getting a physical release, which is great news for NES cart collectors. Matt explains that “directly following the 30-day development cycle, Super Sunny World will go on sale as an open pre-order for about a month. The game will be a traditional complete in-box package with a box, manual and of course the game cartridge itself. I don’t have final prices on anything yet, but generally, my games sell for around $65, including shipping worldwide.”
When asked why anyone would be interested in a new NES title in 2023, Matt is quick to tell us that “NES development, and homebrew in general, is interesting to me for many reasons. It has rules and I also love the physicality and friction that new cartridges introduce to consuming the art. With a new NES cart, not only are you buying a physical thing, but just the act of picking it up off your shelf, peeling open the box, flipping through the manual, and sliding it into the system. All of these things create a connection and commitment to the game that I don’t get with digital media.”
We think many retro fans will completely agree Matt. To find out more about Matt’s projects check out his comprehensive Linktree page. This interview was conducted during the 30 day development cycle of Super Sunny World.
