Enlarge/Star Wars: Luke’s Awakening imagines a Game Boy Color game that never was.
Shoehead
Just in time for Star Wars Day, Irish pixel artist and indie game developer Shoehead debuted nine delightful mock-up images of a non-existent Game Boy Color game called Star Wars: Luke’s Awakening. It’s a fan tribute that melds the design sensibilities of the 1993 Game Boy classic Zelda: Link’s Awakening with the storyline of the original Star Wars trilogy.
In the pixel art, Shoehead depicts a title screen and eight key scenes that reflect important events in A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back, and Return of the Jedi. The scenes include watching the “Help me, Obi-Wan Kenobi” sequence with the Jedi master, an encounter with a Wampa on Hoth, a Darth Vader boss battle, evading the Rancor monster, getting zapped by the Emperor, and seeing the Force ghosts of Anakin, Yoda, and Obi-Wan at the end of Return of the Jedi.
Fan-made mock-up title screen artwork for a fantasy Star Wars: Luke’s Awakening game.
Shoehead
Watching the “Help me, Obi-Wan Kenobi” at old Ben Kenobi’s place.
Shoehead
Facing stormtroopers in the Death Star.
Shoehead
An encounter with a Wampa on Hoth.
Shoehead
A boss battle with Darth Vader.
Shoehead
Fighting the guards at Jabba’s palace.
Shoehead
Evading the Rancor monster.
Shoehead
Getting zapped by Emperor Palpatine.
Shoehead
Seeing the Force ghosts of Anakin Skywalker, Yoda, and Obi-Wan Kenobi.
Shoehead
The images abound with delightful details, such as choices of weapons appropriate for each scene and how Shoehead perfectly adapted the “chibi” style of Zelda’s Game Boy adventures to Star Wars.
Shoehead’s artwork borrows the palette restrictions of Nintendo’s 1998 Game Boy Color handheld, which hosted a color-upgraded version of The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening DX, as well as Oracle of Ages and Oracle of Seasons.
“Link’s Awakening DX was the first game I ever bought with my own money,” Shoehead told Ars. “I got it the year it came out so I could finally play a Zelda game by myself instead of at a friend’s house. So I have a lot of nostalgia for that, as well as the Oracle games.”
Shoehead’s love for the Game Boy Color’s visual aesthetic runs deep. In 2022, he created several “demake” scenes inspired by Elden Ring. “The way a lot of sprites will share a light tone and black and usually only one unique color makes everything mesh together so well. It’s a really unique style, and I think it might only exist because of the jump from the original Game Boy’s palette to the Game Boy Color’s.”
Tools of the trade
Shoehead says he learned to edit sprites in RPG Maker 2003 as a kid around 20 years ago. Today, he uses Aseprite to draw pixel-art images. “I grabbed it back when it was super cheap in the early days because I couldn’t find a program that clicked with me and I was trying everything,” he says. “I usually use both a mouse and an XPPen tablet to pixel, but this one was 100 percent drawn with a mouse.”
Enlarge/ 1998’s Game Boy Color offered handheld Nintendo games in color for the first time and also played host to three Zelda adventures.
Nintendo
Shoehead says he started working on the Luke’s Awakening artwork on April 6, so the nine-image set took less than a month to complete. “I was originally going to reskin a Zelda-like game I’m working on and try to cut a trailer from some scenes for fun,” he says. “But I got some bad news like immediately after planning it out, so I settled for pixelling some screenshots and taking it easy.”
While Luke’s Awakening exists only in the artist’s mind (and these nine images), surely Shoehead, an indie game developer, has been tempted to turn it into a real game? “Oh, no way, I don’t want to deal with Nintendo lawyers AND Disney lawyers,” he said. “I have my own Western Zelda-like I’m working on, so this is more like practice for making more of that.”
LONDON (AP) — With a few daubs of a paintbrush, the Brontë sisters have got their dots back.
More than eight decades after it was installed, a memorial to the three 19th-century sibling novelists in London’s Westminster Abbey was amended Thursday to restore the diaereses – the two dots over the e in their surname.
The dots — which indicate that the name is pronounced “brontay” rather than “bront” — were omitted when the stone tablet commemorating Charlotte, Emily and Anne was erected in the abbey’s Poets’ Corner in October 1939, just after the outbreak of World War II.
They were restored after Brontë historian Sharon Wright, editor of the Brontë Society Gazette, raised the issue with Dean of Westminster David Hoyle. The abbey asked its stonemason to tap in the dots and its conservator to paint them.
“There’s no paper record for anyone complaining about this or mentioning this, so I just wanted to put it right, really,” Wright said. “These three Yorkshire women deserve their place here, but they also deserve to have their name spelled correctly.”
It’s believed the writers’ Irish father Patrick changed the spelling of his surname from Brunty or Prunty when he went to university in England.
Raised on the wild Yorkshire moors, all three sisters died before they were 40, leaving enduring novels including Charlotte’s “Jane Eyre,” Emily’s “Wuthering Heights” and Anne’s “The Tenant of Wildfell Hall.”
Rebecca Yorke, director of the Brontë Society, welcomed the restoration.
“As the Brontës and their work are loved and respected all over the world, it’s entirely appropriate that their name is spelled correctly on their memorial,” she said.
In a case that has sent shockwaves through the Vancouver Island art community, a local art dealer has been charged with one count of fraud over $5,000. Calvin Lucyshyn, the former operator of the now-closed Winchester Galleries in Oak Bay, faces the charge after police seized hundreds of artworks, valued in the tens of millions of dollars, from various storage sites in the Greater Victoria area.
Alleged Fraud Scheme
Police allege that Lucyshyn had been taking valuable art from members of the public under the guise of appraising or consigning the pieces for sale, only to cut off all communication with the owners. This investigation began in April 2022, when police received a complaint from an individual who had provided four paintings to Lucyshyn, including three works by renowned British Columbia artist Emily Carr, and had not received any updates on their sale.
Further investigation by the Saanich Police Department revealed that this was not an isolated incident. Detectives found other alleged victims who had similar experiences with Winchester Galleries, leading police to execute search warrants at three separate storage locations across Greater Victoria.
Massive Seizure of Artworks
In what has become one of the largest art fraud investigations in recent Canadian history, authorities seized approximately 1,100 pieces of art, including more than 600 pieces from a storage site in Saanich, over 300 in Langford, and more than 100 in Oak Bay. Some of the more valuable pieces, according to police, were estimated to be worth $85,000 each.
Lucyshyn was arrested on April 21, 2022, but was later released from custody. In May 2024, a fraud charge was formally laid against him.
Artwork Returned, but Some Remain Unclaimed
In a statement released on Monday, the Saanich Police Department confirmed that 1,050 of the seized artworks have been returned to their rightful owners. However, several pieces remain unclaimed, and police continue their efforts to track down the owners of these works.
Court Proceedings Ongoing
The criminal charge against Lucyshyn has not yet been tested in court, and he has publicly stated his intention to defend himself against any pending allegations. His next court appearance is scheduled for September 10, 2024.
Impact on the Local Art Community
The news of Lucyshyn’s alleged fraud has deeply affected Vancouver Island’s art community, particularly collectors, galleries, and artists who may have been impacted by the gallery’s operations. With high-value pieces from artists like Emily Carr involved, the case underscores the vulnerabilities that can exist in art transactions.
For many art collectors, the investigation has raised concerns about the potential for fraud in the art world, particularly when it comes to dealing with private galleries and dealers. The seizure of such a vast collection of artworks has also led to questions about the management and oversight of valuable art pieces, as well as the importance of transparency and trust in the industry.
As the case continues to unfold in court, it will likely serve as a cautionary tale for collectors and galleries alike, highlighting the need for due diligence in the sale and appraisal of high-value artworks.
While much of the seized artwork has been returned, the full scale of the alleged fraud is still being unraveled. Lucyshyn’s upcoming court appearances will be closely watched, not only by the legal community but also by the wider art world, as it navigates the fallout from one of Canada’s most significant art fraud cases in recent memory.
Art collectors and individuals who believe they may have been affected by this case are encouraged to contact the Saanich Police Department to inquire about any unclaimed pieces. Additionally, the case serves as a reminder for anyone involved in high-value art transactions to work with reputable dealers and to keep thorough documentation of all transactions.
As with any investment, whether in art or other ventures, it is crucial to be cautious and informed. Art fraud can devastate personal collections and finances, but by taking steps to verify authenticity, provenance, and the reputation of dealers, collectors can help safeguard their valuable pieces.
