Every effect is done with just animation and pixels, not just coloring effects.

“The difference with Battle Axe,” Nieborg explained, “is that it’s a real proper pixel art without any filters or anything. From Nieborg’s hand-crafted pixel art to the Megadrive resolution to the arcade-level difficulty, Battle Axe isn’t an old-school throwback, it’s the real deal.

Battle Axe is a true retro game through and through. It can be played either solo or in local co-op by two players. The game features three distinct class types to choose from. Related: The Cryptic Methodology - An Interview With Magic: Legends Principal Lead Designer Adam Hetenyiīattle Axe is a top-down arcade adventure game heavily inspired by the original Gauntlet. Originally, the resolution was double what it is now, but once they dropped down to Megadrive (or Sega Genesis as it’s known in the states) resolution, “Everything just clicked into place,” Tucker said. Nieborg and Tucker created the Battle Axe prototype together in 2019. “I did a lot of freelance work where I just did a small part of the game,” Nieborg said. Nierborg has worked as a pixel artist on the Shantae series, Contra 4, and Wizard of Legend, just to name a few, and in 2017, Nieborg started putting together a pixel art game that would be entirely his own. He has worked on plenty of 3D games over the years, including titles like Spyro - A Hero’s Tail, Batman Begins, and Medal of Honor, but his passion has always been for pixel art. Nieborg’s career as a video game artist goes all the way back to a game called Ghostbattle on the Commodore Amiga in 1990. “It was an insane amount of pixels that he had to draw, but if anyone could do it, Henk could.” “I don’t think I’ll put Henk through that again,” Tucker said. His programming partner on Battle Axe, Mike Tucker, agreed. “It’s a little bit insane for one person to be honest,” Nieborg said during a Zoom call earlier this week. Henk Nieborg has spent the better part of the last two years creating all of the art for his new game, Battle Axe, all by himself.

Parts of a battle axe