I get asked the same questions about the AKR series a lot. So here are some of the most common questions and my answers in one place. While I want to make the answers as complete as possible, I have to balance that with trying to avoid spoilers, so not everything can be on this page. You should also keep in mind, I am capable of changing my mind, so don’t take any of this as set in stone, especially regarding AKR3. I will continue to update this page as more questions arise and the answers need updating.
For the record, this page was last updated 19 July 2021.
General:
- How do I play AKR games? Isn’t Flash dead?
Yes and no. The official Flashplayer plugin is gone, but there remain many ways to play Flash content. [note to self, add link to how to play Flash games in current year page, after I make it.] It varies from game to game, but it’s virtually all still playable. In additon to this, only the first two games are Flash only. AKR Gold will have standalone apps, and AKR3 won’t even be made in Flash.
. - What inspired you to create A Koopa’s Revenge?
It was the mid ’00s. I played a game with a similar premise starring a goomba and thought to myself, perhaps arrogantly, “I can do this but better.” And so over the course of the next year or two I made A Koopa’s Revenge. The goomba game wasn’t a Flash game. I suspect it was made using Game Maker, but I haven’t been able to find it online. I believe I found it on a fan site.
. - Why hasn’t Nintendo gone after you for copyright/IP/trademark infringement?
I can’t say for sure, but Nintendo tends to only go after projects that very directly compete with products they are still selling. Examples: Various HD remakes of Super Mario 64, AM2R got shut down right before Samus Returns was announced, and that online multiplayer version of SMB1 that got taken down because Nintendo was about to release Super Mario 35.
As of yet Nintendo isn’t selling anything that is so directly competing with AKR. There’s a chance they might in the future, so I have a contingency plan for AKR3.
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A Koopa’s Revenge 3:
- When is A Koopa’s Revenge 3 coming out?
Short answer: when it’s ready. Long answer: It’s too early to make any claims about a release date with any accuracy. The game is still in planning phases, so it’s years away at the absolute minimum.
. - Why isn’t it done yet?
Short answer: I’m taking my time. Long answer: I made a big mistake when I jumped into developing AKR2 without a plan and working at the very limit of my abilities. I ended up rewriting so much code, reanimating so much stuff, cutting so much content, and tweaking so much of the physics and level design. That’s why it took so long. A project of this scale requires a lot of planning to do efficiently. I’m going to plan carefully so that when I do start on AKR3 I can get it done in just a couple years, instead of getting myself into another never-ending quagmire of development hell. I also want a firm grasp on all the game development concepts I will need to avoid doing things the hard way.
There are also several other projects I want out of the way before I get started on AKR3. Specifically, I want all other AKR projects done, which would be AKR2 v3.0 and AKR Gold.
. - Which platforms will AKR3 be available on? AKA will it be for mobile?
It should be available for PC, Mac, Android and (maybe) iOS devices, and possibly in browsers if I can manage that. It won’t be on any online stores like Steam because it’s a fan game and I don’t own the IP rights. It could take a bit of work to get it running on mobile OSs, so the mobile ports might not come out at the same time as the desktop versions. I can’t distribute mobile versions through the regulars channels because of the aforementioned IP stuff, so it will take a tiny bit of technical knowledge on the users’ part to get it running on mobile.
. - Will it be free, or how much will it cost?
It will be free. I will never charge any money for any games in the AKR series. I couldn’t charge for them even if I wanted to. Since I don’t own the IP rights, selling the games would get me into a lot of legal trouble. Fan games should always be free anyway.
. - Which characters will be playable in AKR3?
A Koopa obviously. Goomba and Shy Guy, who are upgraded from skins to full fledged characters. More on that here. A new Piranha Plant character will also be included. It’s possible I will include more characters either as normal players or gameplay altering special modes, but those four are guaranteed. Click here to see some concept art.
. - How many powerups? Which powerups will be included?
It’s too early to say anything concrete, but it should be about as many as AKR2. I’m trying to focus on quality over quantity. Consequently some old powerups will be merged with new ones. For instance, the basic Thunder Flower will be merged with a new Lakitu Cloud based power to create a powerup that improves movement and has offensive capabilities. Spike power should return and be more versatile.
. - What’s the game’s story?
I don’t have the specifics worked out yet, and everything else in this paragraph is subject to change. But it goes a little something like this. It’s two generations after the events of AKR1&2, and after a long and peaceful reign, Bowser has died of natural causes. At Ludwig’s coronation ceremony, Woopa, our new antagonists, swoops in and usurps the throne, claiming to be the Koopa who saved Bowser years ago. The real original Koopa’s grandson and his friends come together to unite the seven(ish) kingdoms and take down the tyrannical Woopa.
. - Can I suggest playable characters/bosses/worlds/powerups/etc?
Yes, but please don’t spam me with very simple or vague ideas like, “You should add Nabbit as a playable character.” or “You should add the ice flower.” And only if you’re okay with me rejecting (or ignoring, because you spammed them at me) your suggestions. I have rules for what I’m willing to add to the game. It’s quality over quantity, and your suggestions should be too. Asking me to add blank without any elaboration on how blank is supposed to work doesn’t benefit the game; it just takes up my time telling you no that I could be using more productively. Sorry to be so negative, this is just a big recurring part of indie game dev I don’t like dealing with.
There is a near 100% chance I will reject your boss idea suggestion. It probably doesn’t fit with the world themes I’m planning, and bosses have so many possibilities that it’s easy for me to come up with my own, which I’m probably going to like better because everyone prefers their own ideas. As for playable characters and powerups, there are lists of strict criteria posted on my Discord server. Please, please, please read these criteria first. Making suggestions without reading them is just wasting time for both of us, as I feel obligated to respond.
. - Are cheats that are hidden throughout the game world coming back?
Yes. And there will be loads more of them. [Note to self: elaborate on this later. Add a link after I write a post about it.]
. - Is Mario returning as the antagonist?
No. I killed him off for a reason. I want to go a different direction with this game.
. - Will there be alternate costumes/outfits or accessories? (Like Super Mario Odyssey)
Hard no. For several reasons:
1. There are multiple playable characters. Many of whom do not lend themselves well to wearing costumes because they lack typical human features.
2. Getting different powerups changes your appearance already. If I had to combine every powerup with every cosmetic outfit with every playable character, the amount of art needed would be astronomical.
3. The game will use frame-by-frame 2D sprite animations. This means each outfit would need to be redrawn for each frame of each animation. Changing outfits is really a thing better suited to games with 3D models, as you can swap out the model, but keep all the animations, which makes creating alternate costumes relatively easy.
. - Will there be multiplayer?
No. At least not the kind you’re likely thinking of. Adding simultaneous multiplayer, like the New Super Mario Bros. series uses, requires designing levels to accommodate multiple player characters at once. And in my opinion, designing the levels to be really good multiplayer experiences harms the singleplayer mode. It would also require more work on my part, and I’d rather focus on a tighter, more polished singleplayer game.
I’ve been toying with the idea of turn-based-multiplayer, like in Mario 3 or Mario World, but it’s not a confirmed feature at this time. It would be much easier to implement in both programming and design though, so there’s a strong chance this sort of mode will make it into the game.
Online multiplayer is a hard no. I personally think online should be reserved for competitive games like shooters and fighting games. But the best reason I have not to do it is I have no experience developing games with online modes.
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A Koopa’s Revenge Gold:
- What is A Koopa’s Revenge Gold?
AKR Gold is an enhanced port of the original A Koopa’s Revenge. It’s going to have better art, less jank, and be easier to play on more platforms.
To understand what the game will be, here’s an anology. AKR1 is Super Mario Bros. 2 (USA) for NES, and AKRG is the Gameboy Advance version. It’s essentially the same game with better graphics and sound, with added collectibles and quality-of-life improvements. What it’s not is a Metroid on NES to Mertoid: Zero Mission full-on remake type of upgrade.
. - When is it coming out?
When it’s finished. Until it’s basically ready to go, any date I offer is a guess at best.
. - Will you add more levels/enemies/bosses/powerups?
Yes, but not a ton. I want this game to mimic the experience of the original, not become a totally new game with the same story. I’m going to make the game 20% bigger than the original at most.
. - Can I suggest new enemies/bosses/powerups?
Technically, yes. But I’m almost certainly going to say no. I have a strong vision for this game, and I don’t want the scope of the project to get out of control. It’s taking too long to come out already.
. - Will there be more collectibles?
Yes. I’m adding the silver star coins from AKR2, and a similar red coin system to the one in Yoshi’s Island.
. - Will there be more levels?
Just one. I plan on adding an extra level to unlock when you collect all the silver coins. Which will include a new boss.
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A Koopa’s Revenge 2:
- Can you add _____ powerup, enemy, or boss?
No. Sorry, but the game is finished content-wise. If I ever want to stop updating a Flash game I started making in 2008, I have to draw the line somewhere. Further updates are to polish the game as it is, not to make it bigger.
. - How do I play AKR2?
The easiest way is on Newgrounds. You just go to the page on a desktop or laptop, click the play button, and wait for the game to load. You can also download the swf file, which requires some form of Flashplayer or Flash emulator to run.
. - At which completion percentage is the game finished?
107%. 100% for the regular game, 1% for the true ending, and an additional 6% for finding cheats.
. - What do I need to get 107%?
Basically everything. It would be easier to list what you don’t need. Which are the flower faces, the plumber dolls, and the secret alternative to the Fire Mario boss fight.
. - Android/iOS port when?
Possibly never? There isn’t really a simple way to port an old ActionScript 2 Flash game like AKR2 to mobile. Maybe one day the Flash emulator Ruffle will be able to do it. But all I can really do myself to get it on mobile is recreate the game entirely in a new engine, and I’m not willing to do that right now. It’s not as if there’s an export to Android button I have access to but am just deciding not to click in order to be withholding. (Even if there was, the game isn’t optimised for mobile devices and would run like shit, some people’s computers can’t even seem to handle it)
. - Can you give me the spritesheets for the game, and/or can I use them?
No, not really. The games graphics aren’t traditional spritesheets. They’re layers of images drawn in Flash as vector art. If you can find a way to rip them yourself, use them for whatever you want, but I can’t provide them to you in a convenient format.
. - I’m trying to fight the secret boss, but it’s not working. What gives?
I changed the criteria to trigger that fight in version 2.9. Now in addition to the old criteria, you must defeat the first five bosses before you get the secret boss. Why? Speedruns and minimalist runs proved more popular than I had anticipated. I wanted to make the fight rare again.
. - Is the game ever going to be available in 16:9 widescreen format?
Unfortunately, probably not. So much of the game is tied to its current 11:8 aspect ratio. From enemy spawns, to backgrounds, to level layouts, the games camera, autoscrollers, and more. It’s very much hard-coded for its present size. If I ever port the game to another engine one day, I will almost certainly widen it in the process, but widening the current Flash version would be a nightmare that would require over one hundred manhours and extensive testing.
. - Why did you change the babies into dolls in version 2.9?
Some people informed be that their parents wouldn’t let them play the game when they were babies because of the baby kicking, and baby stomping, and baby burning, etc.
. - Will there be a level editor in future updates, or as a separate game?
No. The way I made the levels for the game is by assembling them piece by piece in Flash, so there is no tool I can make available to the public. I would have to make one from scratch. On top of that, The way the game does collisions is both kind of wonky and not intuitive for making levels like in Mario Maker. The levels are designed around the quirks in the game’s physics, so if I let people make levels with the current physics they would likely break the game very easily and in not fun ways.
If I were to make a level editor, I would need to recreate the game physics from the ground up. Which would take a ton of time I’d rather spend on making new games. There’s also the matter of a level editor more closely resembling Super Mario Maker, which would make it more likely for Nintendo to hit me with a Cease and Desist.
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A Koopa’s Revenge 1:
- Why is it so bad?
Wow, what a tactful way to ask. I made it in 2006 when I was a teenager with very little game dev experience and no formal training. Next question.
. - How can I play A Koopa’s Revenge 1 in current year?
Either using the Newgrounds Player, or Flashpoint. Unfortunately, at the time of writing Ruffle doesn’t work quite right with AKR1. The game will start up and seem fines, but the physics are off, making the game impossible to finish.
. - Can you give me the spritesheets for the game, and/or can I use them?
No, not really. The games graphics aren’t traditional spritesheets. They’re layers of images drawn in Flash as vector art. If you can find a way to rip them yourself, use them for whatever you want, but I can’t provide them to you in a convenient format.
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If you have any questions not answered here, you can contact me. I’ll periodically be updating this page with more answers.