Project NCB:F
This is a temporary web page for Project NCB:F, my new game.
- 2025-10-06
- Proof of concept is ready to be shown for the purpose of gathering feedback. Is the game a good idea? Can this be fun?
What’s this game about?
A hybrid of Tetris and survivor shooter, where robot Vikings fight at the end of the world.
Many years ago, I was watching Walt Disney’s “Mars And Beyond,” and a segment really caught my attention. It showed a strange back-and-forth cycle between two scenes:
- A scientist lost in complex calculations,
- …and his secretary, figthing for her life against Martian monsters.
Let me show you the part in question (length: about 3 minutes):
You’ll be pleased to learn that there’s an actual sport called Chess Boxing, which is built on a similar idea: a cyclic repetition of chess and boxing rounds.
I thought to myself: “there’s a game in this.”
And I believe I have found it.
In Project NCB:F (“Not Chess Boxing: Fragnarök!") you are a robot Viking – Fragnar Lootbrók – in the far future, fighting the final battle at the end of the world (Ragnarök). The game alternates between two modes: a puzzle phase and an action phase.
The puzzle phase play like a variation of Tetris. You build the battlefield by attaching the drifting world shards to the Core at the center.
After about 15 seconds, the drifting shards pause and the action phase begins.
Like in a survivor shooter, you must fight and survive until the cycle returns to the puzzle phase. This cycle keeps repeating, challenging both your mind and reflexes.
Your goal is to perfectly fill all the marked positions with shards. Doing so unleashes a Ghost Squirrel (Ratatoskr) that holds the key of the domain you have just completed.
Destroy all Ghost Squirrels to open the Gate at the Core and finish the level.
Void Shards
If a shard reaches the opposite edge of the world, it becomes a Void Shard – reversing direction and destroying any ordinary shards it collides with (though not the Core or Domain shards). You can use Void Shards strategically to clear misplaced shards.
Rainbow Bridges & Fire Giants
But beware: if the battlefield ever touches the world edge, a Rainbow Bridge forms, and as the Norse myths warn, Fire Giants will begin invading endlessly.
What’s the status of the game?
The core concept is playable via Steam Playtest (you should have received an activation code for that already – if not, let me know and I’ll send one).
There’s level progression, but so far only one basic melee enemy type and the Ghost Squirrels are implemented.
Hero upgrades (or alternate heroes) aren’t yet available, and there are no Fire Giants yet either.
At this stage, I’m looking for feedback on a single question: Does this core game loop feel fun?
If you have a few minutes to play and share your thoughts, I’d love to hear them.