Indie developers Dan Plate and Gary Porter have recently been enjoying some prestigious acknowledgements for their first major game, “Super Daryl Deluxe.” Under the studio name Dan & Gary Games, Plate and Porter successfully funded the title through Kickstarter in June of 2014. The duo had been working on the game in their spare time 2 years prior to the launch of the campaign, and reported that the bulk of the funds would be going to provide music and sound-effects. Fast forward almost a year later and their title has now won first place in Best Visual Quality at GDC 2015, as well as the US Microsoft Imagine Cup in the games category.
Super Daryl Deluxe is a 2D action-RPG for Windows through Steam. Players control the recent transfer student Daryl, who quickly finds himself in the middle of a conflict of epic proportions. Gamers utilize dozens of skills to create unique combat builds and play styles. The fast-paced combat and mix-and-match ability combinations, allow players to forge hundreds of different play styles on the fly, with the intention of keeping gameplay fresh and varied.
In tune with classic RPG mechanics, gear will also be a very important component of “Super Daryl Deluxe.” Similar to the variety of viable combat builds utilizing different skill combinations, equipment offers just as many choices for players to customize. Gamers can collect new loot by defeating bosses, completing quests, or finding locker combinations and “borrowing” some of their fellow student’s belongings. Besides the comedic element of fighting off monsters with a handsaw while dressed as a scarecrow in a powdered wig, differences in gear offer a unique experience for many players.
Creators Plate and Porter have stated that the game was initially created as a joke, and a solution to the lack of humor and high school-based games available in the market. This certainly comes through considering the plot synopsis includes time-travel, magic, and an evil brainwashing-scheme designed by a self-help author who has taken over Daryl’s school, Water Falls High. By setting most of the action and plot within the context of high school, Plate and Porter hope to evoke feelings of nostalgia.
Throughout Super Daryl Deluxe players will be taken on an adventure that emphasizes humor and geeky pop-culture. Alternate dimensions based on typical high-school subjects have begun to open all throughout campus. Quests can have Daryl teaming up with historic figures like Napoleon Bonaparte, to fight off hordes of fantasy creatures. In his efforts to save the world and the captured princess, Daryl will fight off ogres, faculty, and even a sunglasses wearing gorilla.
Plate and Porter met and became friends in middle school and began work on “Super Daryl Deluxe” while they both attended the Rochester Institute of Technology. What started as a one-night throwaway project eventually took over most of their spare time. Prior to the Kickstarter campaign the young developers juggled Super Daryl Deluxe between school and work. While the Kickstarter did not make them over-night millionaires garnering a modest $7,861, it was enough for them to make a serious attempt at game development.
Dan & Gary Games have provided a free demo version of “Super Daryl Deluxe” on their official website, where players can also find the title’s latest news and planned appearances.