StillAliveDS: Portable 2D Portal for DS [update]

by Eric Caoili { May 30th 2008 at 5:30PM }

Following on the heels of Homebrew Week, our coverage of the DS's indie development scene, programmer T4ils has released StillAliveDS, a fantastic 2D remake of Valve's first-person action/puzzler, Portal.

Much like the PC game, players must rely on their wits (and a portal gun) to transport themselves around each stage, aiming shots with their stylus and grabbing pieces of cake along the way. It might not have the graphics of the original, but it definitely has the feel and charm. Hit the screenshots in the gallery below to see what we mean.

Along with the maps included with the game, T4ils has also released an editor for players to create their own levels. We haven't tried it out yet, but there's even some built-in functionality for sharing and downloading maps right from your DS. And it's all free for you to download and play!

Not sure about how to get started with playing homebrew games on your Nintendo DS? Luckily for you, we've written up a (Semi) Ultimate Homebrew Guide with information on the hardware you'll need and how to set it all up! How awesome of us!

[Update: For those of you having trouble getting past the menu screen, walk up to the box in the middle of the room and try to grab it with your stylus. This may take a few tries, unfortunately, but we found it easier if you're just a few pixels away from the box. After you grab the box, carry it over to the "Story" box. ]

See also: Show and Tell: Lies, damned lies, and DS Lites

Gallery: StillAliveDS

[via Dev-fr]

Tags: joystiqfeatures, portal, still-alive, stillaliveds, t4ils, valve

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Matdredalia @ May 30th 2008 5:38PM

I think my heart just burst with joy. I ranted for weeks that Portal hadn't been released on the DS.

I can sing 'Still Alive', impersonate GLADOS, and I'm even working on knitting a companion cube....but something was always missing.

I now feel complete.

Thanks for the heads up, Eric!

Alisha Karabinus @ May 30th 2008 6:34PM

Eric is, as ever, totally awesome.

Mr.ESC @ May 30th 2008 6:54PM

How do I shoot homebrew?

Is there a guide to use homebrew? I would like to try this game.

Also is there a way this could become I don't know legit,I mean he could just present it to Nintendo of America.It would be great if he could sell it on reatil or via internet.

Chris Greenhough @ May 30th 2008 7:27PM

Here you go:

http://nintendo.joystiq.com/2008/05/20/ds-fanboys-semi-ultimate-homebrew-guide/

All you need to get started! :~)

iofthestorm @ May 31st 2008 3:08PM

By the way, some homebrew works well in DS emulators such as iDeaS or DualiS and no$gba and others I can't remember right now. So if you just want to try it out right now, you can do that.

Mr.ESC @ May 31st 2008 10:35PM

Thank you.

Jacek99 @ May 30th 2008 7:22PM

How do I shoot the gun in the menu? None of the kees seems to work. I can only run and jump.

Jacek99 @ May 30th 2008 7:24PM

Man I figured it out. It took me good 15 minutes.

bigfatton @ May 30th 2008 8:41PM

wait, what did you do, i'm having the same problem

Jacek99 @ May 31st 2008 6:14PM

You have to tap the square on the ground, if you are luxky the gun will cath it. Then you can shoot the square( crate).

andy @ May 30th 2008 9:50PM

Any other M3 DS real users who can't get this to run?

Alisha Karabinus @ May 30th 2008 11:10PM

I'll check -- I've downloaded it but haven't tried it yet. Do you have everything in the root of your SD card and not in subdirectories?

Alisha Karabinus @ May 30th 2008 11:15PM

Hmm, I got black screen. I'll fiddle around and see if I can get it working. There is sadness.

zenkendunno @ May 31st 2008 10:15AM

On my M3 DS REAL:
1. Use DS Organise, and open the game through the filebrowser.
2. The game will take some seconds to load.
3. Enjoy!

Warning: DS Organise paint program for example doesn't work really well on the M3 DS REAL, so i only use it for opening some homebrews (Maybe i'm wrong, haven't tried it for a while?).

!! Remember to always do a backup of the card !!

ELUNO @ May 31st 2008 12:29PM

I also have the M3 Real, and can't run it :(

Alisha Karabinus @ May 31st 2008 2:54PM

Thanks, zenkendunno!

Briareos @ May 30th 2008 10:54PM

This is a triumph.

NightKry @ May 31st 2008 12:52AM

I like the song in this video; does anyone know the name?

Alisha Karabinus @ May 31st 2008 2:55PM

It's the Portal song. :)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Still_Alive#Soundtrack

NightKry @ May 31st 2008 6:21PM

Ahhh thank you.

SnackAdmiral @ May 31st 2008 1:20AM

Well, this just made my friday evening. Thank you!

bull @ Jun 1st 2008 1:30AM

Am I dreaming?

Aviv @ May 31st 2008 7:29AM

Can you save in this game?

t4ils @ May 31st 2008 8:27AM

it saves automatically ;)

Robert Rodriguez @ May 31st 2008 9:50AM

I'm using R4 (thanks to DSFanboy!) and it works fine. Only thing the game lacks is an explanation of the control scheme.

L Button = Blue Hole
DPAD Down = Red Hole
X = Jump

John Thomas @ May 31st 2008 5:54PM

Dude, DS totally ROCKS. Such a cool game for a very reasonable price.

JJ
http://www.Ultimate-Anonymity.com

Crilly @ Jun 30th 2008 7:31AM

Need help with this. My r4 open this and goes into a black screen help please!

Daniel @ Jun 2nd 2008 1:10AM

I need help!
I tried to make custom levels, but when I save them, I have no idea where they go. How do I put custom levels onto the game?

t4ils @ Jun 2nd 2008 2:06AM

You need to have a "maps" repertory where your jar file is (like in the zip file).
Maps are saved in it.
At the moment, you can't work in another directory, you must have this "maps" directory

Inanimate @ Jun 1st 2008 7:52PM

AWESOME.

eriK @ Jun 2nd 2008 10:59PM

can anyone get past level 26?? Every time I fall down the shaft on the left I hit the green orb and die. Whenever I drop the cube down first it misses the green orb, and I don't know if that will anything anyways. It's driving me crazy! Every level up to this one was fine.

Chell @ Jun 5th 2008 10:07AM

There are several ways to get past that. I once fell down that shaft and was lucky enough to make it past the ball... never managed to pull that off again.
Now I put a portal right in the middle of the ceiling of the shaft, and the other right under the cube, so it falls from above and I don't need to aim. Sometimes it destroys the ball, but usually just pushes it down. If the ball is destroyed you have to pick up the cube and use it to destroy the turrets ahead. If the ball is still around, you can guide it through portals, to destroy the turrets with it, or to put it out of your way.
BTW, there are more levels in story mode once you beat the initial set! :) I'm hooked.