Forgotten Myths was a platform game prototype created in 2004 and inspired by the cult classic Kid Icarus (1987).
© 2004 Alexandre Renevey
"Poseidon, one of the twelve Olympian gods, was cast down to Earth in human form as punishment for his failed attempt to seize the throne of his brother, Zeus. Stripped of his divine essence, he also lost his mighty trident - the very symbol of his unstoppable power. Yet, all was not lost. Apollo, ever cunning, chose to intervene. He enchanted and deceived Ares, the God of War, compelling him to forge a sacred weapon unlike any other - a blade infused with the essence of the seas, capable of challenging the gods themselves: the Waterblade. Thus begins the Forgotten Myth of Poseidon, wielding the Waterblade in his relentless struggle to reclaim his power and ascend once more to Olympus."
When I was young, I was a huge fan of Kid Icarus, a cult classic (at least for me) platform game on the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES). It was released in Europe in 1987, and I spent countless hours playing it, captivated by its unique blend of action, mythology, and challenging gameplay.
Fast forward to October 2001 - I was studying art and multimedia at a specialized school in Switzerland, where we started using Macromedia Flash (now Adobe Animate) to create interactive content and experiment with different ideas. For me, this was the perfect opportunity: I could finally try my hand at coding video games in ActionScript! Prototype after prototype, I gradually improved, refining my skills and sharing my work with the amazing community at the Flash Kit Community Forums, a well-known hub for Flash developers.
After earning my diploma in 2003, I decided to create a game heavily inspired by Kid Icarus. The setting and overall gameplay followed a similar structure, but I also wanted to embrace the technical limitations of the NES. To achieve this, Forgotten Myths was designed using a restricted palette of 52 colors, with each game element (floors, walls, enemies, items, etc.) limited to just five colors - including transparency. It was a fascinating challenge that made the project even more enjoyable.
I then began coding the game using Macromedia Flash (now Adobe Animate) and ActionScript. The result? A surprisingly polished and very playable prototype, filled with secrets and hidden details. Like Kid Icarus, the levels alternated between vertical-scrolling platforming sections and screen-based maze-like areas. I even implemented a classic password system, allowing players to "save" their progress - just like in the good old days. I was extremely satisfied with the outcome.
However, as time went on, I started feeling drained from working on the same project repeatedly. While the game was functional and enjoyable, I found myself craving new challenges - new prototypes, new ideas, new experiments. Eventually, I moved on to other projects, and Forgotten Myths was left unfinished.
That said, even though it never saw completion, it remains one of my favorite prototypes to this day.
The soundtrack of Forgotten Myths was composed by two incredibly talented artists: Joel 'Tadpole' Baker and Hiru 'Tsu Ryu' H. Diaz. The music was originally created in .nsf format, meaning it could be played on an actual NES console - adding to the game's authentic retro feel. Forgotten Myths didn't just look like an NES game; it sounded like one too!
Most of the audio tracks were freely available on NESdev, a dedicated forum where enthusiasts discuss and develop games for the NES. However, Joel 'Tadpole' Baker went the extra mile by composing two original pieces specifically for the game. Drawing inspiration from Kid Icarus, he crafted a main theme that was nothing short of perfection - perfectly capturing the spirit of the classic NES era. I was absolutely blown away by his work!
If you'd like to get more info about the album, I've created a dedicated page here. Alternatively, you can head directly to Bandcamp, a platform for independent artists to share their music, to grab the album.
"I LOVE it. The demo reminded me of my favorite NES games: Zelda 2 and Faxanadu."
"It inspired me enough to dust off my NES and fire it up for a bit. Nice work."
"Nice work! I was shocked: it looked like a real commercial game."
"Simply put, it was the best 100% old school, 8-bit feeling, 'you have to map it to survive', platform game."
Jojo's Incredible Journey was another platform game prototype I developed just a month or two before Forgotten Myths. The core gameplay revolved around a unique bubble-trapping mechanic: the player could trap enemies inside bubbles, then either jump on them to reach higher platforms or grab and throw them at other enemies. However, there was a catch - if an enemy remained trapped for too long, it would break free and become enraged, moving faster and hitting harder than before.
I designed a single level for the game, but before I could expand on it further, my focus shifted toward Forgotten Myths, and I ultimately decided to pursue that project instead.
Chibicat was a cute little cat designed by pixel artist Dynamo. With his permission, I created a small and fast-paced platform game prototype featuring Chibicat, using the project as an opportunity to sharpen my ActionScript coding skills.
Dynamo was thrilled with the prototype and was eager to see it evolve into a full-fledged game. However, my curiosity led me elsewhere - I quickly shifted focus to learning new techniques and developing other projects, leaving Chibicat as an unfinished, yet fondly remembered, experiment.
Check out some of my other similar projects:
