Abobo's Big Adventure

Lore & Background

Development on the game was started in 2002 by I-Mockery founder Roger Barr, who intended it to be his first full-length flash-based game and to feature his favorite NES character, Abobo. Working with a programmer nicknamed 'Bane', they put together several early levels. However the game was delayed by various side projects, including a game with a similar concept named 'Domo-Kun's Angry Smashfest'. He later returned to the game with the help of developers Nick Pasto and 'Pox', and after mapping out the storyline decided to start the project over from scratch in 2006 due to dissatisfaction with the early work, and the feel that the original programming strayed too far from the feel of an actual NES. Level development was done by playing NES titles and taking notes on which characters they wished to include and where. Rather than have each level feature just one group of enemies from the same game, they would instead act as a tribute to the system as a whole and feature a variety of them. By 2009, the first three levels of the game were completed and revealed at San Diego Comic-Con, playable with a NES controller as originally intended. With the game well-received, they resumed work, using feedback from the test to fix bugs and issues, and in 2010 presented the game at the following Comic-con in a free-to-play arcade cabinet, with artwork made by Jeff Bandelin of Newgrounds. Though the game was delayed heavily in 2011, they intended to release it at the end of December. In September of that year, Barr took the game with him on a comedy tour he was invited to attend with Keith Apicary, showcasing it at various arcades and game shops. An official trailer followed shortly after, and in response to numerous donations they had received, they began work on a smaller game called 'Aboboy's Small Adventure' for anyone who donated, though it pushed the release date for the completed project further. On January 11, 2012 the game was released on Newgrounds.com, with an added tutorial explaining how to play the game with a NES controller. A downloadable version of the game has also been released, while the team plans to continue to showcase the arcade cabinet at various conventions.

Reader's Guide

Abobo's Big Adventure is significant as a freeware parody beat 'em up that pays homage to the Nintendo Entertainment System library. Its legacy includes winning the Newgrounds 2012 'Game of the Year' award. GameSpy praised it as 'the mother of all 8-bit homage flash videogames.' Mexican magazine Cine Premiere called it fun and a good way to re-live nostalgia. GameZone described it as 'part parody and part tribute' to the NES, calling its story 'not cheesy. Instead, it's all kinds of badass.' Eurogamer.it called it a 'serious contender for [Game of the Year] 2012' and 'The final tribute to the NES,' further describing it as both well made and very difficult. Rock, Paper, Shotgun's Adam Smith stated that while the combination of various sprite styles could be reminiscent of various webcomics, the game was created with the original influences in mind, not just the characters. He further added that it was a 'well designed series of tiny games that more often than not succeed in capturing the pleasures of the originals.' Wired called it '8-bit parody done right,' further praising it for deviating from similar titles by offering more than simplified graphics and sounds. 1UP.com editors Jeremy Parish and Bob Mackey both praised the game, with Parish questioning whether it blurred the line between 'parody and appropriation,' while Mackey asserted he still felt it was parody, but that the controls for each aspect of the game had been replicated 'dead on.' GameSpot praised the game saying 'It's a labor of love that's jam-packed with a staggering number of pitch-perfect references to NES games.' Yoshihisa Kishimoto, creator of Double Dragon, has stated in a Polygon interview that he was supportive and loved the game.

Did You Know?

• The game was started in 2002 by Roger Barr and was his first full-length flash-based game.
• The game's plot ends with Abobo waking up in a parody of the ending of Super Mario Bros. 3.
• The game won the Newgrounds 'Game of the Year' award for 2011.
• There is no verifiable record of Yoshihisa Kishimoto, creator of Double Dragon, publicly stating he was supportive and loved the game.