Factsheet

Developer:
Pie For Breakfast Studios
Based in Kent, OH

Release date:
2023

Platforms:
PC / Mac

Website:
LittleNemoGame.com

Regular Price:

USD$25

Description

Team Nemo, a collaboration between Pie for Breakfast Studios and PxlPlz, presents Little Nemo and the Nightmare Fiends, a non-linear platformer based on Winsor McCay’s groundbreaking 1905 comic strip, Little Nemo in Slumberland, which follows the adventures of a 7-year-old boy in the world of his dreams. Players control Nemo and his 3 friends: each character has their own unique powers for exploring the many surreal environments as they confront Fiends threatening to destroy Nemo's happy dreams forever! The game features hand-drawn artwork made to mimic Winsor McCay's expert draftsmanship and inventive comic layouts. Long in the public domain, Little Nemo and the Nightmare Fiends makes the work of a comic and animation pioneer accessible for modern audiences!

History

Little Nemo and the Nightmare Fiends has been a "dream game" of mine - this is Chris from Pie for Breakfast writing - since beginning the studio. I grew up with the NES game Little Nemo the Dream Master and later saw the movie that it was based on. One day while looking up the game, I learned that Little Nemo was the creation of Winsor McCay, an illustrator, comic strip artist, and animation pioneer working in the early 20th century. McCay's artwork was beyond anything in both the NES game and the 1980's movie and I wanted to explore that drawing style myself - even making a drawing of my daughter in Slumberland! Since McCay's Little Nemo has passed into the public domain, I eventually decided that I wanted to make a game about them and kicked around design ideas for a few years. At GDC 2019 I got together with Benjamin Cole from Pxlplz and other friends and we all agreed this was a project we wanted to pursue.

Features

  • Take control of 4 characters on your trip through Slumberland! The brave Nemo, the magic-wielding Princess, the mischievous clown Flip, and the agile royal guard Peony - an original character created for this game!
  • Each character has unique ways to attack and explore. Players can switch between them quickly to create powerful combos and find hidden areas!
  • Featuring hand-drawn artwork made to mimic the style of animation pioneer Winsor McCay's landmark 1905 comic strip!
  • Explore surreal environments based on episodes from the original Little Nemo comic.
  • Wake Nemo up and explore his house, featuring rooms with hidden items, artifacts to make your characters stronger, and production artwork!
  • Soundtrack by Wayne Strange with guest track by Mega Ran!

Videos

Alpha Trailer YouTube


Images

GameCoverArt_1920_011522.png
Arrivals.png
NemoBedShot.png
Bird.png
BoscoScreen.png
Climbing.png
CloudCastle.png
ForestStart.png
GorillaNPC.png
IcePalaceImage.png
Mushrooms.png
Sky_new.png
NemosRoom.png
Princess01.png

There are currently no logos or icons available for Little Nemo and the Nightmare Fiends. Check back later for more or contact us for specific requests!


Awards & Recognition

  • "Best Digital Game" International Conference on Meaningful Play
  • "Best in Show" Cleveland Gaming Classic Gamedev Showcase 2022
  • "Best Art" Cleveland Gaming Classic Gamedev Showcase 2022
  • "Official Selection" Boston Festival of Indie Games Virtual Fest 2022
  • "Best in Category (Platformer)" Cleveland Gaming Classic Gamedev Showcase 2021
  • "Honorable Mention - Visual Art and Design" GDEX Awards 2021 - Columbus, OH
  • "Project We Love" Kickstarter


Selected Articles

  • "This might be the best use of public domain I've seen in a video game"
    - Frank Cifaldi, Video Game History Foundation
  • "If you were a big fan of Cuphead’s revival of the Fleischer brothers’ animation style, this might be a good one to check out and support."
    - Ian Boudreau, PCGamesN
  • "33 Indie Games We're Excited About On Switch In 2022"
    - Kate Gray, NintendoLife
  • "If you're a fan of the NES game, there'll be something here for you!"
    - Pat Contri - "Pat the NES Punk", Completely Useless Podcast
  • "Absolutely gorgeous drawn artwork"
    - Kurt Kalata, Hardcore Gaming 101
  • "Little Nemo and the Nightmare Fiends is something totally new. And from the look of it, it could be something special."
    - Jason Micciche, Brutal Gamer

Successful Kickstarter Campaign
Funding campaign on Kickstarter kickstarter.com.


About Pie For Breakfast Studios

Boilerplate
Pie For Breakfast Studios is a Northeast Ohio game development studio and advocacy organization run by game design teacher and author Christopher Totten creating experimental projects "for the good of games." The studio creates digital and non-digital game projects and is part of Pie for Breakfast, LLC, whose services include working with museums and cultural institutions to create events celebrating the artistic achievements of the game industry.

More information
More information on Pie For Breakfast Studios, our logo & relevant media are available here.


Little Nemo and the Nightmare Fiends Credits

Chris Totten
Founder, Pie for Breakfast Studios; Game Design; 2D Artist and Animator; Level Design

Benjamin Cole
Founder, Pxlplz; Game Design; Programming

Adrian Sandoval
Game Design; Level Design

Tim Fritz
2D Artist and Animator; Animation Pipeline Manager

Max Kunze
Gameplay Scripting; Community Management

Lauren Moore
Intern - 2D Artist

Taja Emmanus
Intern - 2D Artist and Animator

Megan Smith
Intern - 2D Artist and Animator

Taegen Catlin
Intern - 2D Artist and Animator

Sam Hundley
Intern - 2D Animation

Joseph Gage
Intern - Gameplay Scripting

Riqui Xu
Intern - 2D animation

Gillian Dean McDaniel
Intern - 2D Environment Art and Animation

Delanie Hranko
Intern - 2D Environment Art and Animation

Sandy Rao
Intern - 2D Environment Art and Animation

Daelyn Bever
Intern - 2D Environment Art and Animation

Evan DiGiacomo
Intern - 2D Environment Art and Animation


presskit() by Rami Ismail (Vlambeer) - also thanks to these fine folks