DevLog #4 – A Question of Hue: Finding the Right Tone for MIGHTY 1990
If there’s one thing that defines MIGHTY 1990 visually, it’s our love for limitations: rigid pixel resolution, a strict 16-color monochromatic palette, and a design that echoes a time when computers beeped more than they clicked. The default hue—a blueish tone—was our starting point. It felt nostalgic and, frankly… kinda cool.
Over time, though, as we started posting early screenshots and clips, a few people mentioned they didn’t like the hue—it felt a bit hard to read or gave them mild visual discomfort. It wasn’t overwhelming feedback, but just enough to get us thinking: what if we gave players more control?
From Hue Slider to Curated Nostalgia
Our first solution was a simple hue shift. You could lean the colors more toward red, green, or yellow. Technically, it worked. But aesthetically? It felt unintentional. The results were inconsistent, sometimes clashing, and didn’t really feel true to the spirit of the game.
So we scrapped that and took a different approach.
Instead of letting players shift hues arbitrarily, we introduced a set of pre-defined palettes, each one hand-picked and fine-tuned to evoke a specific era, device, or mood. These aren’t just color options—they’re tributes to visual history.
Here’s what’s now available in the settings:
- Default Blue – The original tone of MIGHTY 1990, with a moody, semi-digital vibe
- Black & White – For the purists. Just good old contrast and clarity
- Phosphor Green – Evokes classic CRTs and monochrome monitors (and, if you're generous, the Matrix)
- Plasma Orange – Inspired by the warm glow of early plasma displays
- Game Boy Palette – My personal favorite. A muted greenish tone that brings immediate flashbacks of long car rides and Tetris marathons
The Game Boy palette in particular feels especially fitting. Not only is MIGHTY 1990 set in the exact era when Nintendo’s handheld dominated the market, but the low-res pixel art and simple UI feel like spiritual cousins to that era of portable gaming.
Each of these palettes maintains the 16-color limit, staying true to the game’s aesthetic constraints while offering different emotional “flavors”. Whether you want a sterile and sci-fi blue, a nostalgic green, or a cozy amber glow, you can pick the version that best matches your own retro vibe.
Prototype Progress & Early Feedback
Since our last devlog, we’ve been pushing forward on the demo. The full prototype is now in place, with the complete narrative flow for the demo version implemented. While it's still in a raw, early state, it already captures the weirdness and humor we’re aiming for.
We’ve also started letting a few early testers poke around—and so far, the feedback has been surprisingly positive. Players seem to really appreciate the humor, and the overall nostalgic vibe of the game.
We’re still missing a lot: many animations, sound polish, and full visual effects are yet to come. But the core gameplay loop is there, and that’s exciting.
Thanks for reading!
We’ll be back soon with more updates—possibly some trailer news and… dare we say… a release window for the demo?
Stay tuned, and let us know:
Which hue would you pick? 🎨
If you’re enjoying these updates and want to support a small indie team making weird retro stuff in 2025, please consider wishlisting MIGHTY 1990 on Steam and spreading the word—it really makes a huge difference for us. Thanks!