Haiku the Robot's Jordan Morris Details Chip Upgrade System and Gameboy Aesthetic
Like many ambitious passion projects, Jordan Morris' Haiku the Robot is a love letter to the games that got him invested in the hobby as a child. The newly released indie title is a classic take on the metroidvania genre starring a cute robot who must do battle with corrupted machinery in the mysterious world of Arcadia. While Morris draws influence from modern platformers like Hollow Knight, Cuphead, and more, Haiku's heart beats with the blocky pixels of a classic Gameboy title.
Morris recently spoke with Game Rant about his experiences as a solo developer and his fusion of modern upgrade mechanics with a classic aesthetic inspired by Nintendo's first portable console. The result is a quirky platformer boasting accessible mechanics and old-school challenge, wrapped up in a familiar aesthetic that will likely appeal to 90s-kid nostalgia.
Haiku the Robot Developer Jordan Morris Discusses What He Feels Is the Essence of Metroidvanias
Haiku's combat is mechanically straightforward, but easily seasoned with a wide variety of upgrades, not unlike Hollow Knight's charm system. Morris also mentioned Cuphead as a prominent influence.
The chip and upgrade system is a little bit like Cuphead’s upgrade system. You have a certain number of slots for different upgrades. You upgrade your abilities according to your playstyle. There are three types of chips: red, blue, and green.
Morris settled on this color-coded system with the aim of having players use a wide variety of upgrades, rather than simply stacking firepower or survivability. Each color of chip has a given specialty. Red chips are combat oriented, while blue chips are dedicated to defense, and green chips are a miscellaneous, quality-of-life category. Green chips are
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