From Below Pocket

PREORDERS NOW CLOSED!

Preorders for physical versions of From Below (NES) and From Below Pocket (GB) have ended (October 2023). Thanks to everyone who purchased a copy! The game is still available as a digital ROM, here on itch.io!

From the deepest trenches of the ocean, the Kraken has come!

As the Kraken climbs the walls of your fortress, repel it by hurtling blocks down at the monster. As lines are cleared, the Kraken will retreat, but only momentarily.

Can you survive the night, and live to fight another day?    

Compatible with all Game Boy models, and enhanced for the Super Game Boy!

Featuring Two-Player simultaneous play!

Features

Classic gameplay with a Twist
Featuring the falling-block gameplay you know in love, all while the Kraken works against you pushing garbage blocks up from the bottom of the ocean.

Modernized Controls
This is the absolute best-feeling game of this genre on the Game Boy!

Battle-Tested by the Pros
Extensive player feedback from the pros has resulted in a game that hardcore players love to play. Whether it's the "Kill Screen" after level 30, or Lock-Delay to keep the game playable at extreme speeds, From Below Pocket is a highlight reel waiting to happen!

Competitive Multiplayer
By far the most requested feature is finally here! Go head-to-head in 2-player simultaneous play between two Game Boy Systems via a Game Link cable!

Batteries are Included
High scores and game settings are saved with an on-cartridge battery.

Technical Details
Mapper: MBC1
Size: 128KB ROM + 8KB RAM
Code Language: C
Development Time: 1 year

Platforms

From Below Pocket is compatible with every version of Game Boy, and it takes advantage of the strengths of each system in a way that few games do.

From Below Pocket contains all versions of the game on a single, universal "DX" cartridge.

On original Game Boy and Game Boy Pocket, you get that classic black and white look, and a game that runs at full speed with no slowdown. This is the exact same experience as the other versions of the game.

Game Boy Color, as you would expect, adds full color graphics to the game. The faster CPU of the Game Boy Color is intentionally unutilized in order to stay consistent with the other platforms.

With Super Game Boy you will also find high quality color graphics, as well as a custom game border!

Multiplayer fully supports cross-play between all types of Game Boy systems. For example, a Game Boy Pocket can connect to a Game Boy Color using the exact same version of the game!

Purchase Includes

• From Below Pocket ROM (Free Game Boy Emulator required to play. Emulicious or BGB Recommend)
• Manual (Digital PDF)
• Digital Box Cover (For display in Classic Mini Consoles, EmuStation, etc)
• Original Soundtrack (3 Tracks in MP3 Format)
• Wallpapers (Desktop & Phone)

Social Media

Stay up to date with this game, as well as future games I am making!

FAQ

Will there be another sale of physical carts ever again?

There are no plans at the moment. At the time of writing (2024), I would guess we are years away from me offering physical copies again.

How do I run the ROM in "black and white"?

The ROM that comes with your purchase works on all versions of the Game Boy (original, color, super gameboy, pocket, etc). Even though the ROM is using the filetype *.gbc it still works on original Game Boy hardware.

Most emulators have a setting for which version of the game to run by default:

BGB: Right Click -> Options -> System -> Emulated System
Emulicious: Options -> System
VisualBoyAdvnace -> Options -> Gameboy

Why didn't you include Ghost/Shadow Pieces or Hold Pieces or 7-bag etc?

One of my goals with this game was to avoid prolonged matches. I prefer short, intense matches, over longer relaxed matches. This is also why the game features a "soft kill screen" starting at level 30. I want to avoid a point in the future where highly skilled players need to play for 30+ minutes.

Why do the pieces look "squished"?

This style of game traditionally has a 10x20 play area; meaning 10 "squares" (8x8 pixels) wide and 20 "squares" high (a line piece is 4 "squares" long for reference).

However, no version of this game type has ever appeared on the Game Boy with the full 10x20 game board! They always use a shrunk 10x18 board. This is because the reduced resolution of the Game Boy doesn't have space to fit 20 squares; it fits 18 perfectly.

To get around this limitation, the squares in From Below Pocket are 8x7 pixels. With this extra row of pixels shaved off the top of each block, it leaves me enough space to fit the entire 10x20 game board!