SEGA Blue Skies

👋 Hi there! Welcome to the latest edition of SUPERJUMP Weekly. This week, we're celebrating all things SEGA by highlighting a range of stories that discuss just some of the elements of the iconic company that most resonate with our team. In this issue, we also showcase the works of Adam Meadows and feature Screenbound in our latest On the Radar update.

📣 We'd also like to thank everyone who participated in our recent Reader Survey and Giveaway. We have selected a winner for the indie bundle and have reached out already - so, if you participated, please check your email to see if you won!

IN THIS ISSUE

✍️ Story Showcase: SEGA
⭐ Author Showcase: Adam Meadows
📡 On the Radar: Screenbound
📅 This Week on SJP
🏆 Backers

A 25 Year Sonic Adventure

Featuring interviews with Nigel Kitching (script writer for Sonic the Comic) and Stealth (co-creator of Sonic Mania)
✍️ Daryl Baxter

Phantasy Star Online 2: Looking Back on 10 Years of SEGA's MMO

The past, present, and future of Sega's online empire
✍️ Erick Figueiredo

Yakuza 0 Taught Me To Fear Stress-Induced Blindness

Yakuza 0 brings to light a real-life medical issue
✍️ Antony Terence

Megazone: The Murky History of Sega Ozisoft and Its Unofficial Magazine

The fascinating (and sordid) history of the magazine that put SEGA on the map in Australia
✍️ Mikolai Napieralski

Examining Sega's Early Publishing Attempts After The Console War

What was it like for Sega right after admitting defeat in 2001?
✍️ Cameron Eittreim

Breath of the Wild is a Meditation on Childhood

Personal, fleeting, magical

Diminishing Halo's Mythology

The desire to explain too much can vanquish the awe and wonder we once felt

Prey Makes Choice Meaningful

Arkane's "Prey" asks the player to live with the consequence of their decisions

The Original Video Game Sandbox

Reflections on a time when play experiences were uninterrupted by ubiquitous, invasive connectivity

The Bold and the Braves: A Look Back at Final Fantasy's Teenage Years

The famous franchise had its share of growing pains

Developers of experimental games often love to recreate modern phenomena in an unusual context. In the case of Screenbound, that means simulating something I think everyone has experienced: Being distracted by a video game while trying to do something else.

Screenbound is a puzzle platformer. More precisely, it's two puzzle platformers - one in 2D, one in 3D - that one is playing at the same time. The main character is walking, running and jumping through 3D space while also playing a game on a handheld system. The controls are not separate - the 2D and 3D characters are controlled simultaneously with the exact same buttons.

Normally, the two worlds are tightly connected, so if it's good to jump in the 2D game-within-a-game, it's also good to jump in the 3D game. However, the two will diverge at times, forcing the player to temporarily focus on one over the other. At these moments, it's still necessary to pay attention to both to keep from, say, walking the 3D character off a cliff while helping the 2D character navigate a tricky section. As you may have figured out, skills like multitasking, problem solving and attention switching are just as important as hand-eye coordination.

Screenbound also promises a complete level designer, but don't worry about figuring out the two-games-at-once concept - the player only builds the 2D levels. After that, the game generates a 3D level to match it.

Screenbound is pending a release date.

💻 Created by Those Dang Games and Crescent Moon Games
✍️ Andrew Johnston

Bosses and Helldivers 2

Could bosses from the first game inspire additions to Helldivers 2?
✍️ Khen Ramos

Potionomics: Bring Your Best Brew

Brew it, sell it, and make it through to the end
✍️ Benjamin Macready

Still Wakes the Deep - Narrative Horror on the Sea

That's quite a rig you have there
✍️ Bryan Finck

Bodycam's Unique Perspective Demands Your Attention

A new perspective offers both challenges and opportunities for the FPS genre
✍️ Khen Ramos

Early Thoughts on Spirittea

An adorable new bathhouse simulator
✍️ Priya Sridhar

Thank you to Berke, Brandon, CT, Cathie, Claire, Geena, Lexi, Nick, Oren, Troy, Radha, and Wes for supporting independent, cynicism-free games publishing.