Dropping in for a fight - DeMille for Smash!

[smashkirby]

Guys, as much as I’d hate to be the bearer of bad news:

AlphaDream, developers of the Mario & Luigi series, file for bankruptcy https://t.co/sjHJ0LiLEJ pic.twitter.com/Zh56OcEJ6Y

— GoNintendoTweet (@GoNintendoTweet) October 2, 2019

No way, seriously? Oh, man... what does this mean for Tomato Adventure?? Is nothing going to come of it now?

 

[Perkilator]

No way, seriously? Oh, man... what does this mean for Tomato Adventure?? Is nothing going to come of it now?

We’ve heard nothing of this supposed “new project”. Looks like that’s down the drain unless Nintendo buys them.

 

[GoodGrief741]

Jesus Christ, how did they allow this to happen? I really hope Nintendo swoops in and just buys AlphaDream, otherwise it's not a great way to reward their loyalty and caliber of output.

 

[chocolatejr9]

Well, I'm not trying to be overly optimistic, but just because the company is going bankrupt doesn't necessarily mean that they'll be gone for good. Lots of companies have gone bankrupt, but have come back as if nothing happened. I do hope Nintendo at least helps the employees find work, though.

 

[Perkilator]

https://twitter.com/JackControllers/status/1179453947700011008?s=19

Guys, it's not fully over just yet. They still have a flicker of hope.

 

[chocolatejr9]

I have to ask, how does bankruptcy work in Japan? I know in the US, there are different types of bankruptcy (chapter 7, chapter 13, etc.), but I don't know how Japan handles it.

 

[Perkilator]

I'm glad there's at least still a flicker of hope for Alpha Dream's last game. That being, said, FamicomDisk should this thread be updated to mention their entrance into bankruptcy?

 

[FamicomDisk]

Wow, this does suck. Even beyond Tomato Adventure, the Mario and Luigi games are always tons of fun. They've been making stuff for 20 years, and the only thing they ever made for a non-Nintendo platform was that Gonjiro mobile game... and that released just this year! It's seriously weird to look at; they made 14 games over the years, and a whopping 10 of them were published by Nintendo. It's really surprising that a company with such a long history with a company as huge as Nintendo ended up in this situation.

I really hope Nintendo buys the company or something. I remember that back when Hudson Soft went out of business, many members of its staff moved to Nintendo's NDcube. Maybe something similar could happen here?

I've seen some people saying that Nintendo got the rights to Mario and Luigi. If that's the case, then I'm guessing they also got the rights to Tomato Adventure (since, as far as I know, they both owned it before now). So hey, who knows? Maybe Nintendo will do something with it sometime down the line!

Whether they get saved somehow, or its staff get moved somewhere, I really hope this isn't the end for AlphaDream. They've made a ton of great games over the years, and it would really suck to have them gone for good.

It's still kind of hard to believe, though. I checked their website just a day or two ago to see if they'd posted any updates, and now the site is completely offline.

https://twitter.com/JackControllers/status/1179453947700011008?s=19

Guys, it's not fully over just yet. They still have a flicker of hope.

That Tweet seems to be deleted, but a glance at that user's page makes me think it was linking to this article on their site? Seems like AlphaDream was helping another company with an unspecified Switch game that is already announced, but it had not yet been announced that they were helping out with it. Unless Nintendo saves the day, it doesn't look like whatever they had planned themselves is coming.

 

[smashkirby]

Well, I'm not trying to be overly optimistic, but just because the company is going bankrupt doesn't necessarily mean that they'll be gone for good. Lots of companies have gone bankrupt, but have come back as if nothing happened. I do hope Nintendo at least helps the employees find work, though.

Yeah, that's pretty much my hope as well.

https://twitter.com/JackControllers/status/1179453947700011008?s=19

Guys, it's not fully over just yet. They still have a flicker of hope.

Uh... I can't see the tweet. Well, to be more specific... It says 'Nothing is found here'.

 

[Perkilator]

Apparently there’s a new Switch game in development that hasn’t been publicly announced yet.

AlphaDream has gone bankrupt but there is a Switch game they were involved with that is being released soon. It’s an announced game but their involvement isn’t yet public.

— Liam (@liamrobertson.bsky) (@Doctor_Cupcakes) October 2, 2019

PLEASE let it be that Tomato Adventure—looking one!

…Okay, moving on from this whole debacle; can you add Parathan’s Somg/Season with Amazing Organ to the song list?

 

[GoodGrief741]

Apparently there’s a new Switch game in development that hasn’t been publicly announced yet.

AlphaDream has gone bankrupt but there is a Switch game they were involved with that is being released soon. It’s an announced game but their involvement isn’t yet public.

— Liam (@liamrobertson.bsky) (@Doctor_Cupcakes) October 2, 2019

PLEASE let it be that Tomato Adventure—looking one!

…Okay, moving on from this whole debacle; can you add Parathan’s Somg/Season with Amazing Organ to the song list?

Wait, so the game they were making is still gonna be released? ...How?

 

[Perkilator]

Wait, so the game they were making is still gonna be released? ...How?

They’re working with another company (hopefully Nintendo) for one last hurrah.

 

[FamicomDisk]

Apparently there’s a new Switch game in development that hasn’t been publicly announced yet.

AlphaDream has gone bankrupt but there is a Switch game they were involved with that is being released soon. It’s an announced game but their involvement isn’t yet public.

— Liam (@liamrobertson.bsky) (@Doctor_Cupcakes) October 2, 2019

PLEASE let it be that Tomato Adventure—looking one!

…Okay, moving on from this whole debacle; can you add Parathan’s Somg/Season with Amazing Organ to the song list?

I hate to point this out since I'd love for you to be right, but it says, "It’s an announced game but their involvement isn’t yet public." It's a game we already know about, AlphaDream assisting with it is the thing that's not announced, unfortunately. Whatever they were working on alone likely won't see the light of day unless someone like Nintendo swoops in to help them. (That said, if I'm right in thinking that Nintendo owns the rights to Tomato Adventure, then it's possible that they could do something with the IP sometime!)

...And sure, it's been added! That would make a lot of sense as a song addition if DeMille got in - Pasaran's Song is a recurring theme throughout the game, and this is the most fitting version for a fight. Thanks for the suggestion!

 

[Sari]

Just popping in to say sorry for your loss. I felt the same way when TellTale Games shutdown last year and the final season of TWDG was supposedly done for. Thankfully another company was able to pick it up so the game was able to be finished. Here's hoping something similar happens with AlphaDream and the rest of their projects.

 

[Perkilator]

Hypothetical question; if Tomato Adventure ever was remade, would you guys want Yoko Shimomura to do the OST?

 

[FamicomDisk]

Just popping in to say sorry for your loss. I felt the same way when TellTale Games shutdown last year and the final season of TWDG was supposedly done for. Thankfully another company was able to pick it up so the game was able to be finished. Here's hoping something similar happens with AlphaDream and the rest of their projects.

Thanks for popping by! Here's hoping something happens for them!

Hypothetical question; if Tomato Adventure ever was remade, would you guys want Yoko Shimomura to do the OST?

Sounds good to me! She's done all of the Mario and Luigi games, so she'd know the style of their games well. Tomato Adventure's original composer was Yoko Sakai, who, as far as I can tell, hasn't been the composer for anything since. Makes me wonder if it's maybe a pseudonym? They've both got the same first name!

 

[Demarlion]

I found something, but the description is saddening

https://www.pixiv.net/en/artworks/77102913

 

[Demarlion]

"The thing that was UP in the past was raised again.
Since it is a hobby, it has nothing to do with the actual work.

I would like to express my heartfelt thanks to those who loved the work.
I'm sorry for those who looked forward to 2 because they couldn't produce it."

 

[Demarlion]

Tomato Adventure 2 was in the works...but got cancelled due to the bankruptcy

 

[Perkilator]

Tomato Adventure 2 was in the works...but got cancelled due to the bankruptcy

No offense, but there’s no need to triple post. You can edit your current post if need be.

That being said…darn it. The one chance Tomato Adventure had to regain relevance, of course the company who mad equate had to go bankrupt.

 

[smashkirby]

I found something, but the description is saddening

https://www.pixiv.net/en/artworks/77102913

"The thing that was UP in the past was raised again.
Since it is a hobby, it has nothing to do with the actual work.

I would like to express my heartfelt thanks to those who loved the work.
I'm sorry for those who looked forward to 2 because they couldn't produce it."

Tomato Adventure 2 was in the works...but got cancelled due to the bankruptcy

NOOO!!! Come on, are you serious?! Ugh... I'd say DeMille's last hope was being playable in Smash, but I don't know if even THAT will help now...

 

[FamicomDisk]

I'm not 100% sure what to think here. The description of that post suggests that the art was done as a hobby, and wasn't related to any real project. Then, looking through the pieces, one of them says "Tomato Adventure Anthology Illus. 2010", and another says "2011 7.25". That seems to suggest that they're fan art from over the years.

On the other hand, I don't know that fan art would require character design pages like the one Aresa has there, and the first piece is undeniably the one that was on AlphaDream's site before it closed. Is it possible that this person worked there, but was just pitching ideas?

Out of curiosity, how did you find this, Demarlion ? I took a glance at the artist's page, and nothing else seems to be related to AlphaDream at all.

(Also, whatever the case, that first piece is super cool! )

 

[Demarlion]

I'm not 100% sure what to think here. The description of that post suggests that the art was done as a hobby, and wasn't related to any real project. Then, looking through the pieces, one of them says "Tomato Adventure Anthology Illus. 2010", and another says "2011 7.25". That seems to suggest that they're fan art from over the years.

On the other hand, I don't know that fan art would require character design pages like the one Aresa has there, and the first piece is undeniably the one that was on AlphaDream's site before it closed. Is it possible that this person worked there, but was just pitching ideas?

Out of curiosity, how did you find this, Demarlion ? I took a glance at the artist's page, and nothing else seems to be related to AlphaDream at all.

(Also, whatever the case, that first piece is super cool! )

A friend on DeviantArt shared it to me.

 

[Demarlion]

By the way, anyone got a list of all the items in the game?

 

[Wonks]

I just got a DeMille spirit and instantly thought of this thread.

 

[Demarlion]

Guys, guess what I did!

https://twitter.com/DemilleFor?s=09

 

[Demarlion]

Check out DeMille for Smash! (@DeMilleForSmash): https://twitter.com/DeMilleForSmash?s=09

 

[FamicomDisk]

A friend on DeviantArt shared it to me.

Neat! I was curious if you knew who the artist was. I guess we'll just have to wait and see! Maybe a former AlphaDream employee will mention it in an interview sometime.

By the way, anyone got a list of all the items in the game?

This FAQ seems to have a list of them! I don't think they're missing any, but I also don't remember them all by heart, haha.

Check out DeMille for Smash! (@DeMilleForSmash): https://twitter.com/DeMilleForSmash?s=09

Wow, nice! Good luck running it!

I just got a DeMille spirit and instantly thought of this thread.

Thanks for dropping by! It's been a while!

 

[Perkilator]

A sad realization I just made; regardless of when DeMille got in if he ever did, some fans would still throw a hissy fit because it’s ”a random, irrelevant nobody”, kinda like with Terry at the moment.

 

[FamicomDisk]

A sad realization I just made; regardless of when DeMille got in if he ever did, some fans would still throw a hissy fit because it’s ”a random, irrelevant nobody”, kinda like with Terry at the moment.

You're not wrong! It's unfortunate, but no character will please everybody, I guess! Most characters that aren't among the top requests get a similar reaction from a vocal minority at first, and then eventually they stop, and everyone else looks forward to the new character. The Ice Climbers would probably get that kind of reaction at first if they were added today... but now everyone loves them! No need to let negative first reactions dampen your excitement - they always fade away, and most people end up having fun with new characters even if they're unfamiliar with them.

 

[smashkirby]

A sad realization I just made; regardless of when DeMille got in if he ever did, some fans would still throw a hissy fit because it’s ”a random, irrelevant nobody”, kinda like with Terry at the moment.

You're not wrong! It's unfortunate, but no character will please everybody, I guess! Most characters that aren't among the top requests get a similar reaction from a vocal minority at first, and then eventually they stop, and everyone else looks forward to the new character. The Ice Climbers would probably get that kind of reaction at first if they were added today... but now everyone loves them! No need to let negative first reactions dampen your excitement - they always fade away, and most people end up having fun with new characters even if they're unfamiliar with them.

I agree with FamicomDisk here. EVERY character, regardless of how disliked they may be during their initial reveal, will eventually develop a fanbase within Smash Bros. Look at characters like R.O.B., Bayonetta, or Piranha Plant. They were disliked at first, but eventually found some good ground within the fanbase.

 

[Demarlion]

I imagine DeMille would sound less scared and more surprised and disappointed when Star KOed.

He falls down large drop A LOT. It wouldn't be a surprise that he'd be used to it.

 

[FamicomDisk]

I imagine DeMille would sound less scared and more surprised and disappointed when Star KOed.

He falls down large drop A LOT. It wouldn't be a surprise that he'd be used to it.

On one hand, having lots of long drops isn't unique to DeMille, since lots of other characters also experience many long falls in their own games.

On the other hand, the idea of him just sighing in disappointment as he flies away is pretty funny. I'd like that.

 

[Demarlion]

Does anyone have a GIF or video where you can see the minigames and fails of the Noisy Face, Paper Crane, Rolling Riceball, Dragon Fire, and Doki Doki Train? I can't find any.

It's for info on DeMille's Death Battle Bio I'm making.

 

[FamicomDisk]

Hey, everyone! Time for some quick updates!

--

Does anyone have a GIF or video where you can see the minigames and fails of the Noisy Face, Paper Crane, Rolling Riceball, Dragon Fire, and Doki Doki Train? I can't find any.

It's for info on DeMille's Death Battle Bio I'm making.

Here you go! I recorded all of these on the easiest difficulty. There's also an explanation for each game.

Spoiler

Noisy Face
For the minigame, you hold down the A Button to make the ball accelerate, and once you release it, it'll continue to slide a bit depending on how fast you made it go. Your goal is to have it stop in the red zone! Raising the difficulty makes the red zone smaller, and moves it a little bit to the left (so you can overshoot it even if the ball stops in the bar.)

Failure

Success

Paper Crane
This minigame is literally just slots. Press the A Button; if it stops on "凶", you lose, and if it stops on "吉", you win! Raising the difficulty makes more of the panels into "凶" panels, and also increases the speed so it's harder to time your press.

Failure

Success

Rolling Riceball
For this game, you have to press the opposite direction shown in the panel (when it points left, you press right, etc.) You have to do this the amount of times indicated by the counter on the right. Increasing the difficulty makes you press more within the same time limit.

Failure

Success

Dragon Fire
For this minigame, you have to tap the A Button the amount of time indicated by the counter on the right... but you can only press A when the bar is between the two arrows. If you press A even once before it reaches the first arrow, or if you fail to press it enough times before it passes the second one, you lose. Increasing the difficulty makes you press it more.

Failure

Success

Doki Doki Train
For this minigame, it will begin by showing a number of symbols. Then, you must select the symbols that were shown. If you select one wrong or if you run out of time, you lose! Raising the difficulty shrinks the little box that the symbols are shown in at the start (making them a bit harder to see), and also makes you select more of them.

Failure

Success

--

Next up is a pretty simple addition to the opening post! Just for fun, I decided I'd make a version of the 8 alts I'd made with his sprites and do them with his official art!

Which one would you pick?

--

Something that's been getting talked about is this quote from Sakurai in the Terry presentation!

The post-Pass DLC was confirmed by the time this presentation aired, of course, which means that he said this knowing what plans are in place for the DLC beyond the Fighter's Pass. I'm not one to read too deep into quotes like this, but it is fun to keep in mind! Perhaps we'll get some obscure characters in the post-Pass DLC... and hey, that could be good for DeMille! It's just a little quote, and it doesn't really mean anything - it's just fun to keep in mind.

It would make a bit of sense at this point - now that Ultimate's almost a year old, most of the more casual fans have likely stopped playing it as much, and aren't paying attention to the DLC anymore. Back when the game was new, they put bigger, well-known characters into the Pass to get people to buy it, but now that the game's a bit older, I think many of the people who are still actively playing the game and waiting for the DLC are the types who would buy any character they release. So if the team feels the same way, then maybe we will get some more obscure choices mixed in with the big names! Whatever the case, I'm looking forward to the future characters.

 

[Demarlion]

https://www.deviantart.com/demarlion/art/DeMille-drops-in-for-a-DEATH-BATTLE-820889943

 

[Demarlion]

If DeMille gets to be playable, and comes with a Spirit Board for Tomato Adventure characters, I thought of some Spirit Battles for his friends.

Aresa: A red Isabelle. Eventually a red R.O.B. will appear, referencing her Tomato Robo, but you only need to defeat the Isabelle to win.
Sofubi: A black King K. Rool, to reference his suit. Likes countering a lot (Since K. Rool's counter is using his fat, a key part of Sofubi), and Hotheads constantly spawn to reference the Gimmicks that Sofubi has that use solar or sun stuff.
Rereki: A black Diddy Kong. He's faster than normal, can turn invisible to reference the digging Rereki does, and has various guns drop in.
Pasaran: A pink Isabelle. Refuses to fight, choosing to run away while a DeMille appears to do the fighting. You only need to KO the Isabelle.

 

[Demarlion]

Anyone have ideas on who you would have voice DeMille and his friends? Personally I think Tails's latest voice actor, Colleen O'Shaughnessey, works good for DeMille, but what about Aresa, Sofubi and Rereki?

 

[Perkilator]

Anyone have ideas on who you would have voice DeMille and his friends? Personally I think Tails's latest voice actor, Colleen O'Shaughnessey, works good for DeMille, but what about Aresa, Sofubi and Rereki?

I’m sorry, but I don’t think you should be triple posting.

Anyways, I’d want DeMille and the others (if possible) to be voiced in Japanese.

 

[FamicomDisk]

I've always envisioned DeMille with some kind of silly voice without full lines if he were in Smash; the Prince Sable assist trophy has basically the voice I'd imagine for him, maybe with a slightly lower pitch.

By the way, it's been a while since I last did any updates for the thread! I've been working on something for quite some time that I hope to share with all of you soon.