Ember Banner

Ember Banner is a free homebrew tactical RPG for the Game Boy Color.

Level-up sequence captured in 0.1.7: the EXP gauge fills, Mara levels up, and her stats rise. See the 0.1.8 map artwork below.

This started with a fairly simple idea: make a Fire Emblem-inspired tactics game that runs as a real Game Boy Color ROM. It has grown into a playable 12-chapter story built with our own engine, and I'd love your help shaping what comes next.

The alpha is free. I'm only asking for feedback. Try a chapter, see how it feels, and leave a comment if something stands out.

New in 0.1.8: clearer battlefields

Map units now use chunky artwork drawn directly at their 24×24-pixel game size, with clearer weapons, faces and robes. This covers the company, royal troops, constructs and bosses. Brighter terrain colors and rounder trees help the battlefield read at a glance.

Actual 0.1.8 gameplay, enlarged 3× from the 160×144 display.

The update also fixes a movement-grid drawing issue exposed by the new graphics. Existing in-game saves remain compatible.

Your feedback can become the next build

One of the things that excites me most about making this with AI is how quickly we can try changes. A confusing menu, a map that needs a different route, a character you'd like to know better—those are things we can work on together, then put back in your hands to play.

The engine makes the game easier to customize, and working with ChatGPT helps us move faster between an idea and a playable change. We still have to test what we build, especially on a tiny Game Boy Color screen. But the goal is a close conversation with the people playing: hear what matters, try it, and show what changed.

Tell me what you'd change or add, as well as what you'd like us to keep. I can't promise every suggestion will make it in, but community feedback is meant to shape the game as it grows.

A game now, a creation engine in the works

Ember Banner is also the game we're using to develop our engine. The longer-term plan is to release that engine so anyone can describe the game they want to make in prompts, play the result, and keep refining it. I'd love to make creating your own game feel within reach even if you've never written code.

We're still working toward that. Today's download is the playable Ember Banner alpha; the public engine and prompt-based creation tools are still in development. As we improve this game, we're also learning what those tools need to make useful, playable games of their own.

A captain with an order she won't follow

When royal troops turn on a border town, Mara refuses to abandon its people. She saves who she can and leaves with a company now branded as rebels.

Across the border, the supposed enemy has stories of the same attacks. With a scout from the opposing army and a scholar who knows more about the old beacons than anyone should, Mara starts looking for answers.

It's a story about people choosing to stand together, even when the flags above them say they shouldn't.

What's in the alpha

• 12 story chapters, plus optional repeatable patrols.
• 14 recruitable characters across eight classes, with up to eight companions in battle.
• Grid-based player and enemy turns, terrain bonuses, weapon matchups, durability, healing, and combat forecasts.
• A connected world map and a small camp for conversations, supplies, and choosing your squad.
• Casual or Classic mode: companions return after battle in Casual; losses persist in Classic. Mara must survive in either mode.
• Experience and level-up displays, in-game campaign saves, and mid-battle suspension.

Made with ChatGPT

ChatGPT is a co-developer on this project. I guide the design, decide what stays, and playtest the game. ChatGPT has helped build the code, develop the story and dialogue, create and revise artwork, work on music and sound, and track down bugs. AI image generation was also used for illustrations and other art assets.

That collaboration is part of how this game was made, and I want it to be clear before you download it. The game itself runs locally; you don't need a ChatGPT account or connection to play.

How to play

Download and unzip the alpha, then open Ember Banner.gbc in a Game Boy Color-compatible emulator. An emulator isn't included. The download contains a short getting-started guide and the full player guide.

Use the directional pad to move, A to select or confirm, B to go back, START for orders, and SELECT to inspect a unit in battle. Your emulator decides which keyboard or controller buttons map to those controls.

The campaign begins at camp. Press START, choose WORLD MAP, and travel to the first chapter. In battle, select a companion, pick a destination, then choose an action. START → OBJECTIVE explains what the chapter needs you to do.

Where it is now

This is an early alpha. The full story is playable, but the art, animation, interface, and balance are still being worked on. Automated, input-driven tests have completed both campaign modes without patrol grinding. The build has also been checked in PyBoy and SameBoy; physical Game Boy Color testing is still pending.

The new map GIF and the first two gallery images show version 0.1.8. The level-up clip and remaining gallery images are from 0.1.7. The cover and header are promotional illustrations.

Tell me how it plays

You don't need to finish the game or write a long review. A sentence or two in the comments is useful.

• Was it clear what to do in the first battle?
• Could you read the units, terrain, menus, and dialogue comfortably?
• What was the first thing that felt awkward, frustrating, or worth keeping?
• If you could change or add one thing, what would it be?

If you hit a bug, please include the chapter, your mode, what you were doing, and the emulator or device you used. A screenshot or short clip helps if you have one.

Thanks for giving it a try.

Ember Banner is an independent homebrew project with original characters and story. It is not affiliated with Nintendo or Intelligent Systems. Development credits and third-party acknowledgments are included in the download.