Siactro

Siactro is the studio and mononym of German independent video game developer Marcus Horn. Horn's work, including games such as Toree 3D, Super Kiwi 64 and Macbat 64, imitate early 3D platformers on consoles including the Nintendo 64, and have received praise for their visual presentation and design. Horn's games have been released in compilations for the Nintendo Switch and Xbox, and featured in the 2020 and 2021 horror game compilations Haunted PS1 Demo Disc by Irish developer Breogán Hackett.

Marcus Horn
Other namesSiactro
OccupationIndependent video game developer
Years active2011 - Present
Notable workToree 3D, Super Kiwi 64 and Macbat 64
Websitehttps://siactro.itch.io/

Career

Horn began his early career developing fangames using the RPG Maker platform and developing short games for game jams including the Global Game Jam, citing these experiences as "important" to his progress to becoming an independent developer.[1] Horn independently develops and self-publishes his games under the name Siactro, working on titles during weekends as "passion projects".[2] He has expressed a preference for developing what he titles as "snack games", being short, simple and inexpensive games that are enjoyable to play.[3] Horn has stated the visual presentation and design of his games draw inspiration from 3D platformers from the 1990s, with his first game, Kiwi 64, created to "pay tribute" to Rare Nintendo 64 games such as Banjo Kazooie.[4] Horn cites the decision to pursue this style arose from the desire to capture the "specific feeling" of these games, citing the "unpolished charm" and "experimental" design of platformers from this era.[5]

Horn's games are published independently, but have been compiled for several console releases for the Nintendo Switch and Xbox. In July 2022, Diplodocus Games published a compilation of four titles by Siactro named Toree's 3D Platformer Collection, including Toree 3D, Toree 2, Macbat 64 and Regina & Mac.[6] In January 2023, publisher Leoful released Toree 3D for the Nintendo Switch as part of the compilation Super Retro Platformer Collection, alongside Siactro's other titles Regina & Mac and Macbat 64.[7]

Acclaim

Horn's games have received praise from several outlets for their evocation of early 3D platformers, and associated with the revival of those games by independent developers.[8][9] Dale Bashir of IGN cited the Toree series as a "must-play" indie platformer, stating the games "have a lot to offer" and were a "complete homage to PlayStation era platforming."[10] Similarly, Giant Bomb praised Siactro's body of work for being "adept at invoking the aesthetic and gameplay of their chosen source material", stating the games "do a fine job crystallizing the essence of what the gaming scene was like at the turn of the millennium by nailing their look and feel".[11]

Works

Under the name Siactro, Horn has self-published several independent games, listed below:

Year Title Release date Notes
2014 Kiwi 64 30 December 2014
2015 Macbat 64 3 July 2015 Included in the compilations Toree's 3D Platformer Collection published by Diplodocus Games in 2022 for Xbox and the Super Retro Platformer Collection published by Leoful in 2023 for the Nintendo Switch.
2019 Tasty Ramen 15 December 2019 Featured in the Haunted PS1 Demo Disc horror game compilation in February 2020.
2020 Hungry Ducks 31 August 2020
2021 Toree 3D 16 March 2021 Featured in the Haunted PS1 Demo Disc horror game compilation in March 2021. Included in the compilations Toree's 3D Platformer Collection published by Diplodocus Games in 2022 for Xbox and the Super Retro Platformer Collection published by Leoful in 2023 for the Nintendo Switch.
2021 Toree 2 30 September 2021 Included in the compilation Toree's 3D Platformer Collection published by Diplodocus Games in 2022 for Xbox.
2021 Toree 3D Jumbled Jam 15 October 2021
2022 Toree Genesis 23 June 2022
2022 Beeny 14 October 2022
2022 Super Kiwi 64 3 December 2022

References
  1. Horn, Marcus (8 February 2013). "How the Global Game Jam taught me to get better in planning and making a game". Game Developer.
  2. Nerds Sip (2 March 2020). "Marcus Horn of Siactro Creates Tasty Ramen - Game Developer Interview". YouTube.
  3. Super Switch Headz (12 January 2023). "Toree 3D & Super Kiwi 64: Creating "Snack" Games w/ Siactro". YouTube.
  4. Wong, Alistair (19 March 2016). "Marcus Horn, Macbat 64 Developer, Talks 3D Platformers And N64 Inspirations". Silicon Era.
  5. EdEN (8 October 2020). "Siactro On Macbat 64". PS4 Blog.
  6. "Toree's 3D Platformer Collection". Xbox. 15 July 2022.
  7. "Super Retro Platformer Collection". Leoful. 13 January 2023.
  8. Devore, Jordan (8 April 2022). "Super Kiwi 64 is going for that '90s collect-a-thon vibe, and I'm in". Destructoid.
  9. Maiberg, Emanuel (7 March 2016). "If You're Nostalgic for 'Mario 64' You'll Want to Play 'Macbat 64'". Vice.
  10. Bashir, Dale (14 September 2022). "Top 10 Must-Play Modern Indie Platformers For PC and Consoles". IGN.
  11. "Indie Game of the Week 284: Siactro Showcase". Giant Bomb. 26 August 2022.
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