HAUNTED: Halloween '86 - The Curse of Possum Hollow

HAUNTED: Halloween '86 - The Curse of Possum Hollow
Developer: Retrotainment Games Publishers: Retrotainment Games, Mega Cat Studios (Switch) Platforms: Unlicensed NES, Windows, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch Released internationally: March 28, 2017 (Windows), August 24, 2018 (XB1) Released in US: October 24, 2019 (Switch) Released in EU: November 7, 2019 (Switch) This game has a hidden developer message.

HAUNTED: Halloween '86 is the sequel to 2016's Halloween '85, a Halloween-themed side-scrolling platformer and beat-'em-up. It was released both as a physical NES cartridge and as a digital download.

Developer Messages

A couple of cheeky messages from the developers.

At 0x5C8CC:

Congratulations, you know how to use 'strings'!
Now go make a marionette dance or something.

At 0x6E0A6, featuring a reference to an infamous rant from The New Tetris:

Thank Christ it's Really Finished!
Now to spend some time Trolling Console Removal Finders.
*** LOOKING FOR MARTIST RANT? ***
Sorry. Instead here are Pino's top 10 tips for NES game producers to help a large project succeed:
Give artists a head start so the coder understands what to make.
Have artists make a variety of things early so the coder doesn't build bad assumptions into the engine.
Get an entire level feature-complete before the halfway point.
Learn x,y coords so you can communicate about parts of a level.
Learn Git and the IDE so you can tweak behavior constants and data sets that the coder gives you.
Learn asset-prep tools that the coder gives you.
If your coder rides the bus, ensure each sprint has a mix of tasks that need Internet, mouse, and neither.
Don't wait till the last minute to integrate audio.
Holiday-themed games should use your last game's engine.
Balance the calendar by making smaller scope games between your sprawling adventures.
*** END PINO'S TIPS ***
*** GREG SAYS ***
Hither and yon, yon and hither. Be home in time for supper.
*** NOW RETURN WE TO OUR REGULARLY SCHEDULED BINARY ***

The last part was authored by Greg Caldwell, who's listed in the credits. Pino refers to programmer Damian Yerrick, who goes by the alias PinoBatch.