Small Console, Big Ideas

Why Asperia Games Uses PICO-8

At Asperia Games, technology decisions are never haphazard. Every engine, tool, and workflow employed is something which we intend to use when design, prototype, and ship games. Another key tool in our studio process is PICO-8, a fantasy console that respects and loves limits as creative power. Rather than chasing the biggest engines or the latest pipelines, Asperia Games utilizes PICO-8 to concentrate on gameplay clarity, rapid experimentation, and disciplined design.

A Creativity Console

The PICO-8 has been referred to as a “fantasy console.” It simulates the limitations of classic hardware: a fixed resolution, a limited colour palette, limited memory and small cartridge sizes. Those limitations, at first blush, may seem limiting. Actually, they do the contrary. They tell developers to concentrate on the essential constituent of any game: mechanics. PICO-8 enforces simplicity and makes every design choice matter. Every sprite, line of code and sound effect must exist as a matter of logic. This constraint-inspired approach aligns with Asperia Games’ commitment to a user that is always creating fun and intuitive gameplay experience that it can be expected right away!

Rapid Prototyping and Iteration

One of the reasons Asperia Games use PICO-8 is iteration speed. The platform enables developers to write code, draw sprites, compose music and test games in a single environment, with support for music, in the one place. Changes may be implemented and verified in a matter of seconds! For a studio exploring new games and mechanics, that rapid feedback process is indispensable. Concepts that require weeks to prototype in larger engines can be tested within hours via PICO-8 more frequently. This gives Asperia Games a platform for rapidly assessing gameplay ideas, testing these out in play testing, and knowing what ideas merit additional development.

Great for Arcade-Style Design

The Asperia catalog has many early titles that focus on highly replayable arcade mechanics. Games based on PICO-8 are great at this style of design. The platform’s constraints inherently incentivize developers to create experiences that are:

• Easy to learn

• Difficult to master

• Score chasing or simply survival

• Focused around tight feedback loops

Because of these attributes, PICO-8 is perfectly suited for creating short-tempo games where players can look back to repeatedly while playing. This concept is particularly useful for experimental games and prototypes in the Soldiers of Wealth space where mechanics can often be tested in a basic environment and later on iterated upon into longer systems.

A Strong Indie Community

Another benefit to PICO-8 is its vibrant developer community. The platform’s ecosystem features collaboration, experimentation, and education. Developers share cartridges, open-source code and creative methods that challenge the console’s limits. This ecosystem offers both inspiration and technical insight for Asperia Games. Learning how other developers can solve problems very narrowly leads to new approaches, useful for wider projects that can spread across the studio.

Small Games, Big Ideas

PICO-8 games are small by definition the cartridges are limited in size but the motivation behind them is not a problem. A lot of successful indie titles started as basic prototypes that were done in a confined environment. Focusing on the gameplay fundamentals ahead of time, and establishing if an idea is actually fun to play allows developers to have a test drive and demonstrate if they’re doing something in a more realistic setting before rolling out more production pipelines. Asperia Games works with its PICO-8, design laboratory. The team is able to play with mechanisms, explore economic or strategic systems, play around with gameplay loops all the way up cycles that could lead to bigger projects.

A Philosophy of Focus

The choice to use PICO-8 is part and parcel of a larger philosophy that informs everything we do when it comes to game development. Great games aren’t defined primarily by the complexity of their technology. Those who are known for clarity of thought make the most sense. By adopting the constraints of PICO-8, Asperia Games proves the simple rule that focus on the core experience first: By keeping the core experience in mind. Once the mechanics are sturdy, the base for bigger and bigger and stronger games is set. For players, this translates to games that are intentionally designed sound, mechanically polished and are constructed to be fun. In the studio, it makes sure that each project starts with a clearly defined and strict approach to creativity. And sometimes, the best way to build the future of a game universe is to start with a small cartridge.