I Wanna Be The Guy
Encyclopedia
I Wanna Be The Guy: The Movie: The Game (IWBTG) is a 2D
platform
indie
freeware
video game. First released in October 2007 by Michael "Kayin" O'Reilly, the game is not in active development, despite being listed as a beta. It is best known for its unusually difficult platforming elements, unorthodox level design and utilizing sound effects, characters and music from many other games. The game was created with Multimedia Fusion 2
.
in early Nintendo Entertainment System
games.
video games. The inspiration came from a challenging Japanese Flash
game on 2channel
called Jinsei Owata no Daibōken (人生ｵﾜﾀ＼(^o^)／の大冒険), which Kayin played and thought he could outdo.
games, such as Tetris
, Ghosts 'n Goblins
, The Legend of Zelda, Castlevania
, Kirby
, Mega Man
and Metroid. At the end of each stage, a boss must be defeated to progress. The first seven bosses (Mike Tyson; Mecha Birdo
; Dracula
; Kraid
gief
[a parody of palette-hacked character glitches]; Mother Brain
; Bowser, Wart
and Dr. Wily in the Koopa Klown Kar; and a mix between the Mecha Dragon from Mega Man 2
and the Yellow Devil from Mega Man
and Mega Man 3
) are adapted from classic games, mostly platformers, but their behavior and appearance has been modified and enhanced for IWBTG. The final boss, The Guy, who is The Kid's father, is unique to IWBTG. The game parodies many 8-bit
and 16-bit
era video games, such as the frequent use of references and sound effects from the Super Nintendo game Mario Paint
.
IWBTG is most famous for its difficulty. Most of the landscape is engineered specifically to kill the player. Alongside a traditional range of recognizable dangers, such as spikes and pits, there are many less obvious threats as well, most of which are all but impossible to avoid without either previous knowledge or trial and error
(such as Tetris pieces and "Delicious Fruit", which can fall downwards, upwards or sideways). "The Kid" always dies with a single hit, at which point he explodes into a mass of blood. Although each death results in a "Game Over", the player is allowed an infinite number of attempts. From the starting screen, there are four different ways to progress; all of them ultimately lead to the same warp screen which returns to the first screen. Thus, to complete the game, the first six bosses along each path must be defeated before the warp screen will allow the player to access the final area.
The game has four difficulty settings: "Medium", "Hard", "Very Hard" and "Impossible", with "Hard" considered to be the "normal difficulty". The difference between difficulty settings is the number of save points available throughout the game, from 62, 41, 22 to none at all. Also, while playing on Medium mode, The Kid's hair has a pink bow in it (applied in "overlay" fashion), and any save points exclusive to Medium difficulty are labeled "WUSS" instead of "SAVE".
, while still maintaining the notorious difficulty of IWBTG. The game is no longer in development, although a demo is available.
2D computer graphics
2D computer graphics is the computer-based generation of digital images—mostly from two-dimensional models and by techniques specific to them...
platform
Platform game
A platform game is a video game characterized by requiring the player to jump to and from suspended platforms or over obstacles . It must be possible to control these jumps and to fall from platforms or miss jumps...
indie
Independent video game development
Independent video game development is the process of creating video games without the financial support of a video game publisher. While large firms can create independent games, they are usually designed by an individual or a small team of as many as ten people, depending on the complexity of the...
freeware
Freeware
Freeware is computer software that is available for use at no cost or for an optional fee, but usually with one or more restricted usage rights. Freeware is in contrast to commercial software, which is typically sold for profit, but might be distributed for a business or commercial purpose in the...
video game. First released in October 2007 by Michael "Kayin" O'Reilly, the game is not in active development, despite being listed as a beta. It is best known for its unusually difficult platforming elements, unorthodox level design and utilizing sound effects, characters and music from many other games. The game was created with Multimedia Fusion 2
Clickteam
Clickteam is a software company, founded in 1993 by François Lionet, Yves Lamoureux and Francis Poulain, headquartered in Paris, France. Clickteam is perhaps best known for the creation of a script-free programming tool that allows users to create video games or other interactive software using a...
.
Plot
Like many traditional games that I Wanna Be the Guy parodies, the game's plot is straightforward and does not heavily impact gameplay. The player controls "The Kid", who is on a mission to become "The Guy". The entirety of the plot is given in a message during the opening credits, a parody of bad Japanese translations and broken EnglishEngrish
refers to unusual forms of English language usage by native speakers of some East Asian languages. The term itself relates to Japanese speakers' tendency to inadvertently substitute the English phonemes "R" and "L" for one another, because the Japanese language has one alveolar consonant in place...
in early Nintendo Entertainment System
Nintendo Entertainment System
The Nintendo Entertainment System is an 8-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America during 1985, in Europe during 1986 and Australia in 1987...
games.
Development
The game is an adventure platform game and designed in the style of 8-bitHistory of video game consoles (third generation)
In the history of computer and video games, the third generation began on July 15, 1983, with the Japanese release of both the Nintendo Family Computer and Sega SG-1000...
video games. The inspiration came from a challenging Japanese Flash
Adobe Flash
Adobe Flash is a multimedia platform used to add animation, video, and interactivity to web pages. Flash is frequently used for advertisements, games and flash animations for broadcast...
game on 2channel
2channel
is a Japanese textboard. In 2007 there were 2.5 million posts made every day. Launched in 1999, it has gained significant influence in Japanese society, comparable to that of traditional mass media such as television, radio, and magazines. As of 2008, the site generates revenue upwards of ¥100...
called Jinsei Owata no Daibōken (人生ｵﾜﾀ＼(^o^)／の大冒険), which Kayin played and thought he could outdo.
Gameplay
The player controls "The Kid". The controls are limited to left/right movement, jumping, double-jumping and shooting. IWBTG is made up of several stages split into many screens, which are mostly pastiches of Nintendo Entertainment SystemNintendo Entertainment System
The Nintendo Entertainment System is an 8-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America during 1985, in Europe during 1986 and Australia in 1987...
games, such as Tetris
Tetris
Tetris is a puzzle video game originally designed and programmed by Alexey Pajitnov in the Soviet Union. It was released on June 6, 1984, while he was working for the Dorodnicyn Computing Centre of the Academy of Science of the USSR in Moscow, Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic...
, Ghosts 'n Goblins
Ghosts 'n Goblins
is a 1985 platform game developed by Capcom for video arcades and has since been released on several other platforms. It is the first game in the Ghosts'n Goblins franchise.-Gameplay:...
, The Legend of Zelda, Castlevania
Castlevania (video game)
Castlevania, known as in Japan, is a console video game developed and published by Konami for the Family Computer Disk System in Japan in September 1986. A year later, in May 1987 it was ported to cartridge format and released in North America for the Nintendo Entertainment System followed by a...
, Kirby
Kirby's Dream Land
Kirby's Dream Land, known as in Japan, is a 1992 third party developed platforming video game developed by HAL Laboratory and published by Nintendo for the Game Boy handheld video game console. It was first released in Japan, and was later released in North America. It is both the first video game...
, Mega Man
Mega Man (video game)
Mega Man, known as in Japan, is a video game developed and published by Capcom for the Nintendo Entertainment System . It is the first game in the original Mega Man series and the entire Mega Man franchise...
and Metroid. At the end of each stage, a boss must be defeated to progress. The first seven bosses (Mike Tyson; Mecha Birdo
Birdo
Birdo, known in Japan as , is a fictional character in the Mario series of video games, who first appeared in Yume Kōjō: Doki Doki Panic, which was localized for English audiences as Super Mario Bros. 2 and is an enemy to Mario...
; Dracula
Dracula (Castlevania)
, whose real name is Mathias Cronqvist , is a fictional character from the multi-platform Castlevania video game series...
; Kraid
Metroid
is an action-adventure video game, and the first entry in the Metroid series. It was co-developed by Nintendo's Research and Development 1 division and Intelligent Systems, and was released in Japan in August 1986, in North America in August 1987, and in Europe in January 1988...
gief
Zangief
is a fictional character in the Street Fighter series of video games. Created by Akira Yasuda for Capcom, Zangief first appeared in Street Fighter II, later appearing in other games, media, and promotions related to the Street Fighter franchise...
[a parody of palette-hacked character glitches]; Mother Brain
Metroid
is an action-adventure video game, and the first entry in the Metroid series. It was co-developed by Nintendo's Research and Development 1 division and Intelligent Systems, and was released in Japan in August 1986, in North America in August 1987, and in Europe in January 1988...
; Bowser, Wart
Super Mario Bros. 2
Super Mario Bros. 2, often abbreviated SMB2, is a platform game developed and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo Entertainment System as a sequel to the 1985 game Super Mario Bros. The game was also remade as part of the Super Mario All-Stars collection for the Super Nintendo Entertainment...
and Dr. Wily in the Koopa Klown Kar; and a mix between the Mecha Dragon from Mega Man 2
Mega Man 2
Mega Man 2, known in Japan as , is a platform game developed and published by Capcom for the Nintendo Entertainment System. It is the second installment in the original Mega Man series. The game was released in Japan in 1988, and in North America and PAL regions the following years. Mega Man 2...
and the Yellow Devil from Mega Man
Mega Man (video game)
Mega Man, known as in Japan, is a video game developed and published by Capcom for the Nintendo Entertainment System . It is the first game in the original Mega Man series and the entire Mega Man franchise...
and Mega Man 3
Mega Man 3
Mega Man 3, known as in Japan, is a video game developed and published by Capcom for the Nintendo Entertainment System. It is the third game of the original Mega Man series and was originally released in Japan on September 28, 1990. The game localized in North America later in 1990 and in European...
) are adapted from classic games, mostly platformers, but their behavior and appearance has been modified and enhanced for IWBTG. The final boss, The Guy, who is The Kid's father, is unique to IWBTG. The game parodies many 8-bit
History of video game consoles (third generation)
In the history of computer and video games, the third generation began on July 15, 1983, with the Japanese release of both the Nintendo Family Computer and Sega SG-1000...
and 16-bit
History of video game consoles (fourth generation)
In the history of computer and video games, the fourth generation began on October 30, 1987 with the Japanese release of Nippon Electric Company's PC Engine...
era video games, such as the frequent use of references and sound effects from the Super Nintendo game Mario Paint
Mario Paint
Mario Paint is a video game created by Nintendo for use with the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, and was released along with the SNES Mouse peripheral device...
.
IWBTG is most famous for its difficulty. Most of the landscape is engineered specifically to kill the player. Alongside a traditional range of recognizable dangers, such as spikes and pits, there are many less obvious threats as well, most of which are all but impossible to avoid without either previous knowledge or trial and error
Trial and error
Trial and error, or trial by error, is a general method of problem solving, fixing things, or for obtaining knowledge."Learning doesn't happen from failure itself but rather from analyzing the failure, making a change, and then trying again."...
(such as Tetris pieces and "Delicious Fruit", which can fall downwards, upwards or sideways). "The Kid" always dies with a single hit, at which point he explodes into a mass of blood. Although each death results in a "Game Over", the player is allowed an infinite number of attempts. From the starting screen, there are four different ways to progress; all of them ultimately lead to the same warp screen which returns to the first screen. Thus, to complete the game, the first six bosses along each path must be defeated before the warp screen will allow the player to access the final area.
The game has four difficulty settings: "Medium", "Hard", "Very Hard" and "Impossible", with "Hard" considered to be the "normal difficulty". The difference between difficulty settings is the number of save points available throughout the game, from 62, 41, 22 to none at all. Also, while playing on Medium mode, The Kid's hair has a pink bow in it (applied in "overlay" fashion), and any save points exclusive to Medium difficulty are labeled "WUSS" instead of "SAVE".
I Wanna Save the Kids
I Wanna Save the Kids is the prequel to I Wanna Be the Guy. It features "The Kid" escorting children back to their home. On the way, The Kid has to save these kids and himself from various dangers, as well as bringing them to the next level. The game closely parallels the classic computer game LemmingsLemmings (video game)
Lemmings is a puzzle computer game developed by DMA Design and published by Psygnosis in . Originally developed for PC and Commodore Amiga, Lemmings was one of the most popular computer games of its time, and several gaming magazines gave it some of their highest review scores at the time...
, while still maintaining the notorious difficulty of IWBTG. The game is no longer in development, although a demo is available.
See also
- Battle Kid: Fortress of PerilBattle Kid: Fortress of PerilBattle Kid: Fortress Of Peril is a homebrewed 2D platform video game, released in February 2010 for the Nintendo Entertainment System, created by Sivak Games, and published through Retrozone with the cover art designed by Larry Bundy Jr. Unlike most games in the modern era, Battle Kid is available...
- A Nintendo Entertainment SystemNintendo Entertainment SystemThe Nintendo Entertainment System is an 8-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America during 1985, in Europe during 1986 and Australia in 1987...
homebrew title heavily influenced by IWBTG and approved by Kayin. - Super Meat BoySuper Meat BoySuper Meat Boy is an independent video game designed by Edmund McMillen and Tommy Refenes and developed by Team Meat. It is the successor to McMillen and Jonathan McEntee's October 2008 flash game Meat Boy. Super Meat Boy was released on the Xbox 360 through Xbox Live Arcade in October 2010, on...
- The Kid is an unlockable secret character.