BUGSPRAYER: MY GAMEBOY DEVELOPMENT RETURNS!

Been way too addicted to developing this little GB game, I'd better give an update!

3:30 PM (AEST), Dec 8th, 2025

BugSprayer

I'm thrilled to share that I got back into GameBoy development, and this time with an actual game to show for it! After years of thinking it over, I've finally brought one of my dream projects to life. It's been a fun couple of weeks, and I've barely been able to pull myself away!

BugSprayer is an arcade minigame collection with two distinct game modes and may expand to a third.

The first gamemode is inspired by a mode from my LÖVE 2D game ZombieGame, called "Stuck in the Mud". In this mode, you're locked in place while an endless wave of enemies approaching from all angles. It's pure arcade fun!

The second gamemode draws inspiration from my favorite GameBoy game series, GameBoy Gallery! Here, you move from left to right, defeating bugs that are coming for your freshly baked pie!

I haven't quite found the perfect idea for a third gamemode yet, but I've been having fun experimenting to see what sticks. The hope is to round this out into a complete minigame collection that feels just like those GameBoy Gallery games I loved as a kid!

The Journey Back To GBDK

I know I seemed very excited about my little Carcassonne project in the last blog post, but I needed to take a step back and focus on something I could start and finish in a shorter period of time. That was the original plan, anyway.. before I spent two weeks developing this new project!

I last used the GameBoy Development Kit (GBDK) in 2022 when I made my first GameBoy game, Digging Simulator 1989. To be honest, that wasn't really a game; it was more of a tech demo for me to learn the development kit. It was exciting at the time, but I always dreamed of creating something more complete and polished.

BugSprayer is that dream GameBoy project! I actually planned this game concept way back in 2022, just before I got my job at SavySoda, and life kind of got in the way. Coming back to it now feels like a dream come true. It's been an idea in my head for so long, and it feels incredible to see it finally in my hands!

Development

Developing this game has been incredibly fun and has brought me back to how it felt when I first got into game development with ZombieGame. Lots of all-nighters and complete disregard for any other hobbies or healthy activities. It's probably not recommended, but it has honestly been amazing!

Last time I developed with C for GBDK, I struggled quite a bit. Working without the luxuries we have with modern languages and game engines was challenging. But I can say with confidence that this experience has been much better and different. I started by picking apart Digging Simulator 1989 and quickly realized how much you could actually accomplish with GBDK. It was nowhere near as limited as I originally thought, and any limitations I did find actually made development funner!

What I love most about developing for the GameBoy is that, as someone who loves every element of game development but isn't a traditional artist, I finally get to explore all aspects of creation. I handled the design, the art, the music, and the sound, and honestly, it was all so fun and insightful. The music part especially surprised me! I never thought I'd be composing an actual song for the GameBoy, but using HugeTracker, I managed to create something pretty cool. While it's not perfect, I'm genuinely proud of what I made.

Final Points

Sadly, I don't have much else to share right now beyond what's in this post, but I'm hoping to have BugSprayer finished very soon so I can release it to the world! Keep an eye on this space, I definitely plan to have another post coming up, either diving deeper into development details or announcing the game's completion.

I'd also love to create a post or YouTube tutorial introducing people to GameBoy development with GBDK. If that sounds interesting to you, stay tuned!

Thanks so much for reading this far. I hope you've enjoyed reading about GBDK again! I'll have more to show you very, very soon!