Smashboards Creates: Game Pitch Challenges! [VOTE FOR: PAC-MAN WITH A TWIST! SUBMIT FOR: YOUR DREAM REMAKE!]

[MartianSnake]

So, with yesterday being a historic day for the Urban Dictionary definition of the word "grass", I assume an extra week is in order?

Wait

No

You can't be serious

I thought today was sunday, I was just about to make the post

AUGH

 

[Master Hero Sock-on-Rye]

Wait

No

You can't be serious

I thought today was sunday, I was just about to make the post

AUGH

Sorry, dude. Today's Monday.

 

[MartianSnake]

Delayed til next Monday. Sorry.

 

[Master Hero Sock-on-Rye]

Monday is tomorrow. I hope you haven't scrapped your existing work.

 

[MartianSnake]

SCRIMBLO BIMBLO VOTE RESULTS
Control the Robot (6 points)
Halfwit Horse (7 points)
Circus Chaos (8 points)
King Arthur (9 points)
​

This was a pretty tight round, but KneeOfJustice99 's submission wins the round! Congrats!

PAC-MAN PITCH SUBMISSIONS​

Pac-Man with a Twist

Pac-and-Slash
Platform: Nintendo Switch 2
Release: 2030

Set twenty years after the events of the Pac-Man mythos, the infinite chomper somehow spawned a child of his own to continue his lineage. At the start of the game, Pac-Man and Pac-Teen don't always see eye to eye with each other. (Sidenote: If anyone on this board watched Not Just a Goof, I envy you.)

However, despite their differences, they must learn to work together to stop a whole paranormal invasion with Clyde leading all the ghosts in the universe to attack their world. The trouble multiplies when Pac-Teen's whole family is kidnapped, including Pac-Man himself, leaving him to brave the ectoplasmic army all by himself, with just a butter knife for defense.

Along the way, you can equip new powerful weapons with help from Professor Pac, eventually going as far above as a multiversal scythe to reap the ghosts with. You can also visit the Pac-Cade, run by Pac-Grandma, and play classic Namco games.

Button Mapping:
L: Walk
R: Run
A: Select Level
B: Visit Arcade
X: Purchase Weapon
Y: Talk To NPC
Shoulders: Spin​

Challenge 11: Pac-Man and The Ghost Cave

Pac-Man and The Ghost Cave is a puzzle/platformer game, the game tells that Professor Pac-Man said to Pac-Man that there is a myth of a hidden cave full of ghosts and Pac-Man have to go there, Pac-Man discovers that the myth is true and entered at the cave, inside the cave, he finds Pinky that she was separated from Inky, Blinky and Clyde but she can help Pac-Man to know about the cave, the game is similar to Pac-Man World series, but it is more focused on exploration, puzzles and it's semi open-world, Pac-Man and Pinky are both playable but they have different controls and movesets, Pac-Man can eat the enemies, jump, run and uses different items, and Pinky can float, attack, pass through walls invisible and creates platforms, also there are bosses in the game, and they have puzzle sessions too, incluining Inky, Blinky and Clyde

Challenge 11: Pac-Man X KataMari DaMacy
This would be a puzzle action game where Pac-Man would have to consume everything in sight, growing larger and more powerful as they consume.
The story mode would have the ghosts take down the town and Pac-Man be the only one to stop them.
During the game you can collect pellets that increase your size a little, and Power Pellets that make you invincible.
There would also be a multiplayer mode, where the largest player in the time limit wins.

Pac & Back
A rougelike take on the classic Pac-Man game. Players equip power pellets and other items before they enter the maze. Its classic Pac-Man gameplay, but with a larger, seemingly endless maze. The maze's order will be randomly generated each time, with random enemies spawning. Along with the ghosts, which also include later ghosts like the ones from ms. Pac-Man, there's also enemies such as Pooka, Flygar and Galaga. Effects may happen too. You collect power ups which can then be added to your loadout before the run starts. There are online leaderboards. Uses a classic 8-bit style.

As for Pitch #011... I think this could be fun.

Deep in the farthest reaches of space, a breach exists.
In our hubris, we sought to plumb this wound for power.
Yet, when we peered within... four pairs of eyes peered back.​

When a weak distress call emanated from the asteroid-mining colony known as the Labyrinth, Paul Ackmann - a nearby scrapper exploring one of the nearby wrecked Orbitals - was attacked by a sudden swarm of bug-like creatures. Fighting his way through and arriving at the colony, he found it devoid of human life. But, with the UGSF undoubtedly on their way to respond, Ackmann's left with the harrowing task of determining the truth of the Labyrinth, with the help of tools and information left by its previous workers... before it's too late.

P. Ackmann's Labyrinth
(Namco, 2025)​

Long story short; a Pac-Man platformer "metroidvania". You play as Paul Ackmann, distinguishable due to his distinctive yellow suit, and armed with an experimental drill acquired from a close friend during his time on Earth. Progressing through the Labyrinth, you'll equip various new items and abilities based on various classic Namco arcade titles, as well as having to fend off against the insectoid creatures from within the Breach - being, of course, based heavily on the Galaxian series. On top of all of this... four energy-draining "Spectres" are travelling aimlessly around the Labyrinth, and must be avoided or faced with the tools at hand. Of course, Ackmann's unprepared for this at first, but if he can find one of the colony's energy sources, he may stand a chance...

Some weapons, items, and abilities could include;

• Drill Gun - Inspired by Dig Dug (1982). Ackmann's main weapon, it's a combined drill/pile bunker with the ability to repeatedly drill into enemies nearby, or fire off bits as projectiles that must be picked up. It's also capable of tunneling through rock with an upgrade, but can't tunnel through metal.
• Miru - Inspired by Pac & Pal (1983). A rare example of a non-harmful Spectre, Miru bonds to Ackmann despite her lack of communicative skills, and joins him in his exploration. She can drain the power around her in a manner similar to the other four Spectres, and is also very adept at determining their location. (It's otherwise possible by looking for regions with no power on your map.)​
• Sonic Cannon - Inspired by Mappy (1983). A tool devised by one of the Labyrinth's security officers to harmlessly disrupt intruders utilising pressurised soundwaves. When fired at enemies, it momentarily stuns them - though other enemies are highly receptive to the sound and will become agitated.​
• Blue Crystal - Inspired by The Tower of Druaga (1984). A lighting system featured throughout Labyrinth, of which a handheld variant is found at the very bottom of a structure deep below the colony. It lights up dark places and always orients itself "upward" in relation to Labyrinth's artificial gravity, and has the unique property of being immune to the energy-draining effects of the Spectres.​
• FLAGG - Inspired by Rally-X (1980). Effectively works as a checkpoint system, of which Ackmann can carry up to three at a time, and "plant" into the ground. Should Ackmann be killed while holding at least one FLAGG, he'll respawn intact at any other FLAGG he's placed down. (If not, he'll respawn at his ship.)​

Think of the game as having a sort of cross in terms of visuals with something like Super Metroid while leaning hard into the space opera vibe seen in 2001: A Space Odyssey. The journey is, in some ways, quite cerebral - it is action-focused, but Ackmann's outlook on things will deteriorate over time, especially if exposed to the Spectres on multiple occasions. Ultimately, you'll need to destroy or dismiss the Spectres, seal the breach, and ensure it's safe for the UGSF to arrive - with a bad ending featuring various ships being overwhelmed by extradimensional forces.

Note that this is in no way intended to be a thematic ripoff of Shadow Labyrinth. The idea's moreso inspired by a few interesting takes on Pac-Man as an astronaut that I've seen in the past. Also, sorry for the lack of mockups this time around, the lack of Internet coupled with uni starting to wrap up has been running me through the wringer a little!

Vote for you top three and NOT your own submission.

GAME PITCH CHALLENGE 12
Pitch your Dream Remake
​

Here's a fun one, ever wanted a game you love to get a crazy cool in-depth remake? Well now you can Pitch one!

For this, please go into detail about what major changes and additions you'd make. Simply saying "game with better graphics and basic QOL improvements" won't do. Do something fun with it!

My next update post will arrive next monday, though if I miss it again, expect another overhaul to the schedule. I'm just trying to find out a system that works for me.

 

[Master Hero Sock-on-Rye]

Pac-Vote

1. Pac and Back - I think using the Pac-Man universe as a blueprint for a rougelite is an inspired decision.
2. P. Ackmann's Labyrinth - This pitch gets points detracted for being similar in theory to Shadow Labyrinth, although pulling from other classic Namco titles is a plus.
3. Pac-Man X Katamari Damacy - The eclectic molding of two different Namco properties is what puts it on my list.

Job #12: My Dream Remake

Before settling on this, I had considered other games to remake:

• Duck Hunt
• Q*Bert
• Banjo-Kazooie
• The Mysterious Murasame Castle

If anyone wants to use these properties, you can have them. But I went in a different direction...

Mole Mania: Resurfaced
Publisher: Nintendo
Developer: Nintendo Entertainment Planning & Development
Release: Q3 2026

During a meeting with the brass at Nintendo, it has come to their awareness that Shigeru Miyamoto is getting on in years. After discussing with his peers, it was announced that he will work on two more titles before retiring: One Mario title, and one non-Mario title. In the end, he decided to give some love to one of his lesser-known creations on his way out, conveniently celebrating its 30th anniversary on the Game Boy.

As such, on the September 2025 Nintendo Direct, they announced a remake of Mole Mania to the surprise of quite a few people.

Mole Mania: Resurfaced is a full-color remake of the original game, its look inspired by the modern 2D Zelda titles like the Link's Awakening remake and Echoes of Wisdom.

Along with a complete array of colors and a plastic-esque artstyle, the game also comes with new features, like a Rewind function, a small map of the area in the corner of the screen, a Shop feature where you can purchase cosmetics, and a Boss Rush mode that you can unlock after beating the game.

The story goes as follows: A lowly Farmer named Jinbe is tired of moles stealing his vegetables, so he kidnaps the entire family. Unfortunately, he did not anticipate Muddy Mole, the patriarch of the family, to take back his family and fight his legion of enemies in the process.

Another small addition is seen in the background of the final boss: A picture of Jinbe shaking hands with Mario, thus confirming that these are two separate people, debunking the theory that Muddy is part of the Monty Mole species.

The gameplay also sees no major changes: You still play as Muddy as he digs holes and throws balls, cabbages, pipes, and barrels to better traverse the land. Only this time, in the boss rush, his wife can be selected as a second player, adding more chaos to the puzzles.​

 

[DragonRobotKing26]

1. Pac and Slash
2. Pac & Back
3. P. Ackmann's Labyrinth (i really wanted to add my own submission instead this one,but i can't)

Challenge 12: God of War 1+2 Remake

God of War 1+2 Remake is a remake from the two first games from PlayStation 2. it is announced on a State of Play, the graphics are so more realistic and used the same graphic engine from God of War 2018 and Ragnarok, the gameplay is the same and classic from the tradictional hack n slash, and the story of both of games have a little changes that are different from the original games

 

[MartianSnake]

1. Pac and Slash
2. Pac & Back
3. P. Ackmann's Labyrinth (i really wanted to add my own submission instead this one,but i can't)

Challenge 12: God of War 1+2 Remake

God of War 1+2 Remake is a remake from the two first games from PlayStation 2. it is announced on a State of Play, the graphics are so more realistic and used the same graphic engine from God of War 2018 and Ragnarok, the gameplay is the same and classic from the tradictional hack n slash, and the story of both of games have a little changes that are different from the original games

Can you go into more detail about what you'd change? Right now this description is pretty close to the example I made for what not to do. Your submission should go into more detail about more in-depth changes.

 

[ssbashworld]

Power Stone Fusion
A CTR Nitro Fueled like remake that combines both Power Stone 1 & 2 into one package.

- All 16 characters (including secret fighters Kraken, Valgas, Mel, & Pride) are playable. Additionally Power Stone 2s bosses Pharoah Walker & Dr. Erode are made playable in a new mode & 2 new fighters are added (A clone of Rouge & a character similar to Eleven from SF5 who morphs into a random other fighter).

- Power Stone 1 brings 12 stages while Power Stone 2 will bring 5 plus 3 Bonus stages. Power Stone 2s stages will have hazardless / Power Stone 1 like varients while Power Stone 1 stages will get whacky, shifting, Power Stone 2 varients post-launch.

- Has updated & classic visuals & remix & original music both toggable mid game similar to the Goldeneye XBLA prototype.

- A new team / tag team mode will add Fusion Power Stone forms that combine elements of the teammates. Teams would be preset as it is not feasible to create a Fusion for every combination. However there will be a custom team option that would use a generic Fusion form. Where some characters may have more preset team options, everyone will have at least 1 unique Fusion / Preset team.

- In addition to stages, post launch support would also add more Fusion Teams & Costumes (a couple included in base game), and at least 3 fighters. An original character, Lee Walker (a well known, fan made Power Stone 3 concept character), and a guest fighter (Dante would probably make the most sense).

- Online Play would be added too of course

 

[Northsouthmap]

1. Pac and Slash
2. Pac and Back
3. P AckMann's Labyrinth

Red Dead Redemption: Definitive Edition
Conceived as a full remake of the original, Red Dead Redemption: Definitive Edition was built from the ground up with new assets and an expanded story, although missions and arcs from the original game are carried over. New to the remake is the ability to drive automobiles, a feature that was planned for the original game but was cut for reasons unknown.
Despite being a faithful remake of the original game, Red Dead Redemption: Definitive Edition features several new missions, characters and features to the game:

• The remake contains several features, weapons and items that were planned for the original game but were cut. These include the ability to drive the automobile and armored truck, sailing canoes and rafts, the Walker Revolver, the double bandolier, Hermanas Church having an interior, the Morningstar Steamboat being a floating casino, using cows as mounts, being able to hunt and skin bats and featuring sasquatch.
• There are also two stranger missions that were planned but cut from the original game. They involve John finding a friend for a man with Dwarfism and collecting religious artifacts for Mother Superior.
• Moose, Black bears and Sasquatch are added to the games wildlife.
• There is a new territory called North Elizabeth.
• There are several references to Red Dead Redemption 2, particularly to Arthur Morgan.

 

[Wario Wario Wario]

Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl: Double Dared

A remake of NASB1, not 2.

1. Redone animations and models with cel-shaded characters (including Hugh) on fully textured backgrounds.
2. New soundtrack, toggleable between old and new
3. 8 alts for all characters, plus a universal hat system. All hats are unlockable, as are 4 out of 8 alts
4. Minor moveset reworks - very few specials are changed (pretty much just Lincoln's squirt gun and Cat getting a seperate up B from Dog) but air attacks that appear similarly to ground attacks are reanimated as well as some select awkward prop moves like Toph up tilt and Danny strong grounded, and CatDog getting extra variable moves.
5. NO NEWCOMERS, but a tripled stage list including all NASB2 stages and stages from unrepped cartoons, sitcoms, game shows, and maybe even a dash of Jr.
6. Stage variants - including casual variants for all competitive stages, a ceilingless Ghost Zone, classic Royal Woods, and NASB2 layout changes.
7. Melee-style Adventure mode
8. Reworked classic with pop the slime balloons, whack-a-bot, a Foot Clan team takedown and a boss fight against Peaches from Rocko's Modern Life
9. Coin mode equivalent with slime
10. 8-Player Brawls

 

[MartianSnake]

Wait what?? Could it be?? The THREAD RUNNER pitching a game?! Is that even allowed?!

Yes, it is.

Super Mario Land Rediscovered

A rather in-depth remake & reimagining of the Game Boy classic, SMLR strives to bring everything to a modern standard, filling out the story, and generally adding a lot more content, making what was originally a half hour game into something much beefier.

The game uses a 2d animated artstyle, designed to replicate the artstyle used on the boxart, with a few changes to ensure some designs fit the Modern Standard. The game is presented in FULL COLOR, but filters replicating GB, GBC, Monochrome, and even VB are available.

Luigi is added as a playable character, and you can choose to use him in lieu of Mario. When you do this, Hearts appear when you rescue Daisy, which no longer happens with Mario. You can also do 2 player co-op!

Worlds are greatly expanded, each one getting an additional 4 main levels. And after beating the boss, you get a bonus level where you team up with them! After all, according to the story, the bosses and enemies were just brainwashed by Tatanga. The game also has a world map. Boss fights are also reworked to fit a modern standard.

Speaking of story, the game actually presents said story in-game in greater detail. Animated Cutscenes play before & after each world, and Tatanga in particular is given a smidgen bit more backstory. There's a bit of background lore about how Tatanga wants Sarasaland in particular because of its alien connection (note how most of the kingdoms in it are based on places with many alien conspiracies, I'm playing off that)

Don't worry though, the story isn't too deep. Cutscenes are pantomimed with only a few wahoos, cries for help, evil snickering, and mamamias to break the silence. And there's probably only like 6 minutes of cutscenes in total.

Each level also adds Collectible Big Coins to search for. Each one features a design of one of the characters or enemies in the game on the back, and you can look at them all in the Coin Collection menu, which also features descriptions for each.

A fifth world is added, set in space and featuring references to Land 2's Space Zone. In this world you get access to a third type of Pop, the Space Pop! Which looks strikingly like like strange craft Mario drives in Alleyway, and it plays like it too! That's right! You get about 2 levels in the game dedicated to a Breakout clone, including the final boss (partially).

After you beat the game, there's actually even more to do!

Classic Run!
A speed-running mode in which the game is stripped back down to the "three levels in four worlds" format in the original. Even bosses revert to simpler patterns. The goal is to beat this mode as fast as possible. This mode features only leaderboards, but if you beat one of the pre-installed no-internet required high scores, you unlock...

Classic Classic Run!
A straight up port of the original Super Mario Land! Just with a speed run timer in the corner. Getting highscores on this will unlock gold statues of mario, luigi, and daisy on the title screen.

Alleyway Rediscovered!
A remake of Alleyway! Not much to say here, doesn't have any crazy flourishes beyond graphical improvement to match SMLR.

Sky Pop Forever!
An endless Sky Pop shoot-em-up! Getting a highscore unlocks Tatanga as a playable character in this mode.

So yeah, that's the game! We'll, there's one more thing... getting 100% completion unlocks a cutscene teasing a potential Mario Land 2 remake...

So yeah, that's the game! Maybe a bit hogwild, but it's a dream remake, and this is the level of craziness I'd want in a dream remake! Hope you like!

 

[Otoad64]

Sonic Adventure 2: Chaos Controlled

This would be a pretty substantial reimagining of the game that keeps the core of the experience but modernizes it and irons out the game’s flaws.

-Fully redone HD visuals, with new character models and a cel-shaded art style meant to replicate the Uekawa art

-Updated level designs and physics that better incentivize using momentum in Speed stages

-Tails and Eggman’s mechs are faster and less clunky

-Knuckles and Rouge have the Adventure 1 radar as a toggleable option

-Story is rewritten, keeping the core story beats but fixing a lot of the inconsistencies and better explaining some things (for example actually stating that Maria has and illness in the game)

-More unlockable Chao Gardens based on classic locations like Green Hill, Casino Night, Sky Sanctuary, etc.

-Remixed soundtrack, with the original also available as an option.

-More unlockable skins for every character, and they would be usable in singleplayer.