The charming NES homebrew 2D side-scrolling platformer Doodle World is coming to Antstream, the world's leading retro game streaming service, on June 4th 2024. To celebrate the arrival of this excellent game to the extensive Antstream library, we popped a few questions over to the developer, Nate Peters.
Doodle World originally launched in 2021 following a successful KickStarter campaign and was released for the NES homebrew scene, with the game available to buy as a physical NES cartridge, before being released on other platforms. In the 2D side-scrolling platformer, players take on the role of Doodle, with his mission to save the world from the evil King Eraser and his office supply minions. Doodle World has 15 levels spread across 5 worlds, and 5 bosses to defeat, which will see players running, jumping and pouncing their way to victory. Doodle World includes a kid-friendly mode, ensuring the game is perfectly playable for all levels of gamer.
With Doodle World coming to the Antstream service, the team at Antstream posed a few questions to Nate Peters, and here are the answers -
1. Please tell us a little about yourself and your experience with video games
I am a father of 4 and an avid gamer and I share that love of gaming with my children. I
grew up playing video games in the early 80’s. One of my earliest video game
memories is playing Pitfall on the Atari 2600. I spent most of my youth playing
platformers on the NES, which is where my true passion lies.
2. Doodle World is a side-scrolling platformer with a charming visual style, can you
tell us the heart-warming inspiration behind this visual style?
Thank you for the kind words! Doodle World was conceived by watching my youngest
daughter, Araceli, doodle on notebook paper. She would draw these very interesting
stick figures and it inspired me to create a game based on her doodles. She may be
the youngest Creative Director in the industry!
3. What was the thinking behind making a side scrolling platformer?
I grew up playing NES side scrolling platformers and they are, by far, my favourite
genre of games. It just made sense to me to create one myself. I feel that they are one
of the most intuitive and accessible genres for players, both new and old.
4. And why develop initially for the NES?
Having grown up with the NES, it was a huge part of my gaming background. As a
child I always dreamed about making my own game for the system. Friends and I
would draw out our own levels for Super Mario Bros. on paper and share them with
each other at school.
When the opportunity arose to create a game, and having met the people behind
NESMaker, it made sense to try and finally make a game for the system.
5. What were the limitations that you experienced developing for the NES?
The biggest limitation during development was the art/pixel design. Being limited to
such a strict palette made it difficult to re-create a “hand drawn and crayon colored”
look, but I think we pulled it off well.
6. How long did Doodle World take from concept to completion?
From the initial concept to creation, it took about a year to complete. I worked on the
game during my free time while Araceli assisted with the level and character design.
She was also a great playtester!
7. Would you describe Doodle World as a hardcore platformer, or a more casual
experience?
Doodle World is definitely a casual experience. Although, I have heard from many
players and fans that it can be deceptively hard at times. During playtesting, Aracel
felt the core game was a bit too difficult for someone her age. With that feedback, we
decided to include a “Kids Mode” so even younger players could enjoy the game at a
lower difficulty level. “Kids Mode” even has fewer levels, allowing younger players to
beat the game and have that sense of accomplishment as well.
8. With the game making its way to Switch, Steam and now Antstream, are there any
other platforms that you would love to spread Doodle World to?
Having released the game on multiple platforms, such as the NES, Switch, Steam,
Evercade, and soon Antstream, I am very humbled. Ideally I would love to see the
game ported everywhere, including the Xbox and PlayStation systems, but as it
stands, I am truly grateful to have it on all the current platforms it is on. I never
anticipated the game would reach an audience of this level.
9. Do you have any new projects in the pipeline that you would like to share?
We recently announced that Doodle World 2 for the NES is now in development and
We are anticipating a release later this summer!
Doodle World will be available to play on Antstream from June 4th, 2024.