Art Style – Rockbot

Why the characters changed and do not look like Megaman anymore?

Due to Google’s copyright enforcement, the game was one removed from the Android Play Store. It seems like it was caused by users reporting the game as a copy of Megaman. To avoid further issues, we did an overhaul in the graphcs and style, and we had to change it to something elese that did not remind Megaman anymore. Otherwise I risk to loose my developer account and will not be able to publish on Play Store anymore.

But I found this piece of graphic/sound/music that I believe is a copy!

Please let us know! Contact by email on protoman@upperland.net, or comment in this page, and inform that is the art asset that might have a copyright issue. We do use art that is a mix one created by us, by some friends or available as free from people that make it public available. But it is possible some might have issues and we are not aware of. So letting us know, helps us to double check that it is really free, or even replace any problematic files.

Rockbot is just a MM in purble. Did you copy the graphics?

First, about character concept of a robot-boy, it is not a concept created in MM games. The character style and story are actually a tribute to Osamu Tezuka’s Astro Boy, that happens to be the inspiration for Megaman. If you are not familiar with this anime/manga, take a look here and you will recognize in a lot of concepts from it in Megaman games: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Astro_Boy

Look closer. No, seriously, just look closer. I will help you:

Not soe similar now, is it? We follow the aspect ratio and size, this ends making a similar STYLE art, but not a copy.

Now, let me explain this, yes, in the past we used art from that game. The company that makes it do not mind, they actually are OK, even if not giving formal authorization. But heck they even distributed a fan-game themselves.

Not a single pixel from the original was used in our version. But people just assume “it is a bat, it is a copy”.

Now, Google does not think that way, that is why we changed the art, more and more and more. Because even on the case we created original art, not a copy, but that was a tribute and inspirated by that game, we were accused of stealing.

First one is MM, second one was ours, created from zero but following the sizes that led to same eyes, for example. Third is a complete overhaul, but that still people would call stealing. So we ended with a tottally new, from an author that granted user rights.

Some people go to mad theories like we steal the energy indicator, yeah, those red colored balls, that are used in a lot of games like Duck Tales since forever. Man, there isn’t much ways to draw a ball with so few pixels that won’t look like another game that uses the same concept. This does not mean it is a copy, how hard do you think is just to draw a ball? It takes a few seconds in the Gimp!