As 2024 is coming to an end I have been blessed with another opportunity to bring to the audience another campaign from Kickstarter. We have explored a few different genres in campaigns this year and this will be my second time reviewing an upcoming project that pertains to the video game platform. Last time it was a game coming to Nintendo Switch, but this time I get a chance to go old school. Also to get up to speed please check out my previous entries in my series.

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12

The Kickstarter launched recently and is running through December 2024. The game is titled Kero Kero Cowboy and is a western themed platforming adventure game featuring a frog. Did I mention old school, well this game is currently in development for Game Boy Color and Analogue Pocket. Both a classic and more modern way to enjoy this game.

Behind this game is the developer MetagameMike a solo developer named Mike Bedsole. Conversing with him through email, I can feel his excitement and passion behind his project. Having a few games under his belt such as Brawlhalla and Street Brawl, Mike has focused on his passion of games and Game Boy. With previous titles of Sushi Gun and Birdie Bartender, Mike sets his sights on Kero Kero Cowboy through the assistance of Kickstarter. Check out his project and if possible, back it!

Kero Kero Cowboy:

Give an amphibian a 10-gallon hat and a side shooter and you got yourself a weapon wielding western frog on a war path, jumping on enemies to fulfill his quest.  Shoot, stomp, and spit fire your way through foes and 5 regions across 25 levels with 5 epic boss battles. This action platformer will also offer extra challenging bonus levels that require the player to unlock the star coins in previous levels to access. Can you find them all and unlock these locked and loaded levels? Check out the demo and the campaign.

The goal of the campaign is 10,000 dollars and currently at the time of this writing the goal has reach the halfway mark. Once reached some stretch goals are also listed for improvements on top of the base game.

Interview:

Who are you and what role do you play in your company?

My name is Mike & I’m a game developer who makes Game Boy Games in his free time! (I don’t have a company for my Game Boy Games, it’s just me plus whoever I commission to help out here & there)

How did you come up with MetagameMike?

I came up with the name “MetagameMike” because I always enjoyed playing games within games (that’s the “meta” part), whether it be in fighting games, where the term is most commonly used, or just little challenges I’d come up with for myself in single player games to make things more interesting. Like beating a tough boss without taking damage, or without upgrades, etc.

Have you utilized Kickstarter before?

I’ve used Kickstarter before for other projects, but this is my first time attempting to fund a game with Kickstarter. It’s been an interesting learning process so far!


What do you like about Kickstarter?

I’m a big fan of how Kickstarter allows people from all interests, experience, and walks of life, to come together to help make artwork come to fruition. I have personally backed several Kickstarter campaigns, and it’s awesome to see dreams made into reality!


How was the game conceptualized?

Kero Kero Cowboy originally began as a very basic tech demo of sorts. I started playing with the program GBstudio in 2020 as a pandemic hobby, eventually releasing my first Game Boy game “Sushi Gun” in early 2021. Originally the tool could only handle top-down 2D style games, but I believe in 2022 there were great strides made with newer versions of GBstudio, making things like platformers, shmups, and point-and-click games possible. As a big platformer fan, I knew I had to try that out next. The main character wasn’t always a frog either! I originally concepted a cowboy with a rope lasso, but the lasso animation proved to be a little too tricky to animate fluidly within the Game Boy’s sprite limitations, so instead I opted for the much more visually simple tongue attack of an amphibian.

Who or what drives the motivation behind your project?

This project, in particular, is motivated by my desire to simply have more Game Boy Color platformers out in the world! The original Game Boy got plenty of 1st party platformer mainstays like the Mario Lands, Kirby’s Dream Lands, Donkey Kong Lands, etc. but the GBC not so much! So, I’m doing what I can to expand the GBC library, even if I’m a few decades late.


What inspired you to make this game for the Game Boy Color and Analogue Pocket?

A big reason why I chose to make Game Boy Color (and Analogue Pocket) games was due to GBstudio’s simplicity & intuitiveness. I come from the art side of game dev, and I have zero actual coding experience, so GBstudio seemed like a great way to dip my toes into solo game dev projects! I also am a firm believer in the idea that limitations spark creativity, and it’s tough to get more limited than an 8-bit console! A big part of the fun for me is coming up with clever workarounds to push the hardware to its limits.


Any advice for people thinking about starting a Kickstarter campaign?

This Kickstarter has yet to be funded, and it’s my first foray into funding games on the platform, so I may not be super qualified to give out advice. But from what I’ve seen out there, the two most important aspects of a campaign are to 1) succinctly & efficiently show and describe what you want to make, and 2) get the word out there! Post about it every day! Reach out to indie game journalists (like yourself, Shane) and influencers! It makes a big difference.


Where can people reach out to you?

People can reach out to me on my Bluesky account! That’s where I’m most active online these days. I also have accounts on other social media under “MetagameMike,” so just search my name & you’ll probably find me!

Bonus Question: What are your favorite video game franchises and what is the most important or inspiring Game Boy game for you?

I’ve always been a big platforming and action-adventure game fan, so no surprise that some of my favorites include the Mario, Kirby, and Zelda franchises, both the classics on the Game Boy and the more modern iterations. Mario Land 2, in particular, has always impressed me with how creative and efficient its level design can be. It’s a great game with tons of charm and new surprises around every corner. It’s definitely a level of quality & polish I aspire to in my own games, especially with Kero Kero Cowboy!

Thank You

I would like to Thank Mike for allowing me to interview him and get a glimpse of his world and passion project. I also want to thank my Editor in Chief David Lasby for informing me of this campaign and allowing me to continue my Kickstarter series. I’m excited to see where Kero Kero Cowboy will go. Game Boy Color was always an exciting platform, with some of my favorite games like Mario Golf and The Legend of Zelda Oracle of Ages and Seasons being showcased I know more options are always a good thing to be available to keep the legacy going.

As usual I want to one day be part of a Kickstarter campaign to see for myself the challenging work that goes into the process.  For now, I will continue my Kickstarter journey, so please check out my past series and if you have a campaign that you would like me to interview you or check out, please let me know. Contact and reach out @Stillsaneshane on X or StillsaneShane on Bluesky. I would love to hear from you. Cheers friends! 

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12

Share your reactions below or join the conversation on the Boss Rush Discord.

Shane Kelley is a Senior writer for Boss Rush Network, as well as a writer for Another Zelda Podcast. His favorite game is The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. You can find him on X or Bluesky to talk video games, Marvel, cribbage, and axe throwing.

Featured Image: Kickstarter.com

Images: Provided by MetagameMike