MiSTer FPGA – Dr. Franken / Game Boy

Recently tried the first two games in this series on Game Boy, and while they certainly aren’t up to the level of the more polished AAA games on the platform, I’d say they’re still worth a try for fans of the MetroidVania genre, with some caveats.

First thing that needs to be said, is you will need some extreme patience to get a firm grasp of the game’s floor/room layout system. I was confused as hell my first time playing this, because it’s quite unlike anything out there. There is kind of a three dimensional aspect to the layout, though its portrayed with a two dimensional map system, when you pull the map up in the game. Even after you come to grips with the system, it’s still a sprawling maze of a map, seemingly made that way to confuse the player and throw you into loops. Being a MetroidVania style game, of course there is some backtracking, but in this game you’ll probably be doing most of your backtracking unintentionally unless you refer to a map or guide to the game online.

The controls have a bit of a laggy feeling when moving the main character around. I guess Frankenstein’s monster wasn’t very nimble and it conveys that well here, whether intentional or not. Another thing I didn’t like about the game was the player’s weapon, which only works on half of the enemies you encounter, and your shots will just go straight through the rest of them. Having no UI on the screen, you cannot see your health without bringing up a sub-menu, which is something I had not encountered before in a game like this.

Gameplay centers around seeking out items to unlock other parts of the manor you are in, with the goal of collecting the body parts of your girlfriend, a monster just like the player character, and stitching them back together so they can re-unite. There is just such an expanse of areas to cover and items to acquire in order to get there, that it would take a seriously long time to figure it all out, involving taking notes to make sure you do things in the right order. Still, its got some decent animation, nice pixel art for the various rooms, and a save/password system to resume your game. Worth a try if you have the patience for this kind of game.

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Game Boy core 08-28-2020 build – Dr. Franken

Filter: Gaussian Sharp 05 // Gamma: Off // Palette: PJ

Played using an NTT Data SNES controller via BlisSTer/LLAPI

Settings: Integer Scaled to 1080p // HDMI to Datapath e1s capture card

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|:=-Timestamps-=:|
00:00 – Settings
00:37 – Title/Demo
01:41 – Gameplay

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Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/WalrusFPGA

Twitter: https://twitter.com/WalrusFPGA

=—————CONTRIBUTE—————=

None of this would be possible without the constant hard work of Sorgelig. It cannot be overstated how much he has done and continues to do for this project, since its beginning. You can support him either at his Patreon in the link below, or on Paypal, depending on your preference. MiSTer is a paradigm shift in how we can experience these classic games. This is a long-term preservation project that will continue to grow so that gamers today and in the future can experience these excellent systems as accurately and lag-free as possible. Donating what you can will help keep the updates coming. Thank you.

Patreon: https://patreon.com/FPGAMiSTer

PayPal: https://paypal.me/FPGAMiSTer

NOTE: I am not affiliated with Sorgelig and am only sharing these links as a fan of the project who wishes to see it continue to grow rapidly.

=—————–INFORM—————–=

SmokeMonster’s overview video of this core: https://youtu.be/g-XZCGUvr2I

Github link for this core: https://github.com/MiSTer-devel/Gameboy_MiSTer

MiSTer Forum/Wiki/Github (source, guides and info): http://MiSTerFPGA.org

Classic Gaming Discord for live chat/help: https://discord.gg/UDu5ztY
(go to the rules-faq-roles channel for info on how to see the MiSTer channels in there, etc)

=——————BUILD——————=

Worldwide list of sellers for MiSTer expansion boards: https://misterfpga.org/viewforum.php?f=34&sid=74e1c5e7dae1b99284789d93194cfa0b

I have personally ordered all my parts from https://www.MiSTerAddons.com and have been 100% satisfied with the quality and service there. (North American seller. If in a different region, check list linked above for best local shipping rates.)

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