Shaun Inman might not be the most familiar name in the game development realm, having made a name for himself with his web analytics software, Mint, and his RSS software, Fever. That’s not to say that Inman has shied away from games – he currently has a beautifully pixelated strategy board game in the App Store known as Horror Vacui. Yet his current project, Mimeo and the Klepopus King really stands out as a work-in-progress worth watching.
At its core, Mimeo is part pixel art showcase, part evolution of a Mario clone, and part amazing soundtrack courtesy of an NES sound chip emulator. That’s a lovely start, but the meat of the game is what shows oh-so-much promise: the world starts out using two-bit, black and white graphics, upgrading to 4-, 8-, and 16-bit aesthetics as the player collects game cartridge power-ups. The resolution of the current world affects more than just the graphics, with additional platforms appearing and enemy behavior changing as the world changes. To this end, the game could properly be seen as a bit of a puzzle-platformer. Seen above is the 4-bit rendition of the title, check the Mimeoverse link below repeatedly to get a feel for the aesthetics of each resolution. Also worth checking out is Inman’s blog post on the matter, featuring a short video and samples of the music. Inman estimates the game will be ready for the 2010 holiday season, available on the iPhone and iPod Touch.
