Oh, that's why :D
You're not imagining things; Battle Kid is only available via NES cartridge. My random Wikipedia searches have finally come to fruition as the NES article led me to information about the lockout chip used in the console to prevent unauthorized development. However, if you check the list of games released you will notice that since 1987 companies have found a way to bypass the lockout chip and produce their own software.
This game has already been reviewed by a number of private blogs (more on that later) and has been given positive reception for it's gameplay, music, sprites...if you can name an aspect, it's been given a thumbs up. Sivak says that his primary inspiration for this game comes from the PC freeware game "I Wanna Be The Guy". There is also obvious tribute to classic NES titles, the most notable among them being MegaMan. If you watch videos of both Battle Kid and IWBTG, I'm sure you will agree.
Essentially, the plot sees an organization making it's home at a long abandoned and booby-trapped fortress (aka the Fortress of Peril). Dr. Tina Byers receives communication that the group is creating a dangerous SuperMech weapon. As in the style of many NES games, Dr. Byers sends Timmy, a child in a robotic suit (sound familiar?) to infiltrate the fortress and stop the group's sinister construction.
Gameplay consists of navigating from room to room, dodging obstacles and shooting enemies, and is theoretically simplistic in design and function. However, taking a page from "I Wanna Be The Guy", there is no real "Easy" mode, and each higher difficulty gives you fewer lives, continues, and save points. Also, playing on "Easy" difficulty supposedly requires you to wear a pink outfit, but gives you unlimited continues.
There will be a number of items that will assist you in progressing throughout the game, two notable among them being the Double Jump and the Feather Fall. Double Jump lets you jump twice before having to touch the ground again, and Feather Fall makes you fall slower, making navigating dangerous drops a bit easier. The game will use a classic password system, so there's no need to worry about replaying the entire game just because Timmy is a one-hit
More information coming after one final video interruption. I found this to be a point of interest; it seems that ScrewAttack had a pretty favorable review of the game, and even made a video detailing the highs the lows of their experience.
Now, the info you've all been waiting for:
Battle Kid: Fortress of Peril
Developer: Sivak Games
Publisher: Retrozone
Released: February 22, 2010 (first version)
Genre: Platforming
Price: $30 USD
Battle Kid ships in a newly constructed custom green cartridge and comes with a dust cover and 10-page instruction manual. In a contract with the publisher, Sivak has promised not to release the game in any other format as long as the cartridges are still in production. This mean that unless you're ready to break out the old dust covered memory box and untangle the Atari and Master System from your NES, you won't be able to enjoy this title. If you really want to play it that badly, though, Sivak claims that the game is compatible with most real and cloned versions of the NES. (PAL systems will run at 5/6 speed due to the clock speed)
Links
Official Site: http://sivak.nintendoage.com/
Demo Etc.: http://www.nintendoage.com/forum/messageview.cfm?catid=22&threadid=22324
Official Product Page: http://www.retrousb.com/product_info.php?cPath=30&products_id=86
Sivak Games' YT Page: http://www.youtube.com/user/SivakD
Also, look for info on "Battle Kid 2: Mountain of Torment" on the official site ;)
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