Mega Slow Mole update.

If your main interest in becoming a patron is getting a physical NES version, I completely understand your frustration. Truth by told, I’ve been in talks with several publishers about an NES release, but it hasn’t come to pass yet. And as for self publishing, it’s always been an option, but at this point I feel the game would do better if I keep working on updating it first. Since I released the original game for free digitally I feel like an updated version with more secret levels that leads to alternate routes would do better (something I’ve been intending to add anyway). The idea is also to release it around the same time as the physical megadrive game, while also giving people a chance to get them as a bundle. Currently, the game is still being worked on, the cover image is essentially done (and I’m very pleased with it; it’s the image with the claymation mole about to throw the controller) and the manual is in progress and will feature a lot of my illustrations and be sort of in a comic book style (I have a background making comic strips for Swedish newspapers.) As for the physical game, there’s really no reason to make our own design unless we feel we can do it both cheaper and better, since it’s going to be in a grey shell anyway. But, If you need an NES version of this (1.2b) version of Slow Mole, I can get you one based on one of the Famicom boards inside a shell with an adapter (like the first revision of Gyromite). I’ve made two of those before and the cover would be a copy of the label for the speedrun race award cartridge. They work perfectly but there’s no box or manual yet of course. If you feel you’re already given more than enough for this game (which is a fair point) you can stop supporting and leave me your preferred email address in a message and I’ll get back to you as soon as the CiB version of NES Slow Mole is available, regardless if you’re still a patron or not. As long as I know where to send it, you’ll get one.

Is the NES physical release ever going to be worked on? I see you're now working on Slow Mole for the Mega Drive, after having worked on PICO-8 and Dreamcast versions, but I joined this Patreon two years ago on the promise of a physical NES version. The closest I've ever seen is a bare Famicom PCB, while the physical NES release which I've been paying $5 per month for the last two years to see has had no mention beyond two comments since I joined. Even the VideoGameSage thread has had no mention of the physical NES release since October 2021. What's going on with it? What's the progress on the NES boards? For that matter, why are custom boards needed? Why not use the NES UNROM 512 boards offered by Broke Studio or Muramasa? (Broke Studio boards even come fully assembled, and they'll flash the ROM for you.) Is there box art being worked on? I see in the previous Mega Slow Mole update that you mentioned that SEGAbits used the NES Slow Mole art, which makes it sound like the key art is done. If that's the case, how is the box layout coming along? How about the cartridge label? What's the manual looking like? Have you sourced cartridge shells? Do you need help with any of these things? It's been two years and $120 so far, and I would like to see the physical NES release become a reality.

re4mat