The Altercation Bureau

The first game in the series is officially published! "StarStabber Zirc: Gemstone Collect-'Em-Up" is an in-browser 2D puzzle maze with nineteen levels, infinite lives, wacky collage graphics, and a bunch of different weirdos all trying to stop Zirc from collecting precious Plot Crystals. It's free, but if you like it I'd be super thankful if you could toss a little tip my way so I can keep working on the series.

Note: there is a minor display issue where, in my naivety as a new designer, I thought it would be fine to make a game 2000x2000 and computers would be smart enough to resize it, but that has turned out not to be the case. I'm hoping I can get that fixed in a future update, but in the meantime just zoom your browser waaaay out.

Master tag list:

Enemy design: common fodder up to bosses

Level design: stages and non-enemy hazards

Game puzzle: specific challenges requiring something besides stabbing

Game design: player items, powerups, interface, sound/music

Wilfred Brambell in 1971, photo by Jon Lyons

6-5: Malamiko GmbH Executive Suites

I’ve talked about all kinds of minutia, but haven’t mentioned the final boss! Inspired by the Giant Space Flea From Nowhere trope where otherwise realistic video games have ridiculous final bosses (in particular N.A.R.C.’s drug lord that turns into a giant head that shoots tongues and Growl’s poacher crimeboss turning out to be possessed by one of the alien monsters from Darius), when the Bureau finally confronts Emil Malamiko in his office, he summons ancient evil and turns into a horrific demon. (Spoiler, it’s actually just yet another costume made by il Professore, and once you fight it he pops out and tries to run away.)