German video game designer
Siactro is the studio and mononym of German independent video game developer Marcus Horn. Horn's work, including games such as "Toree 3D", "Super Kiwi 64" and "Macbat 64", imitate early 3D platformers on consoles including the Nintendo 64, and have received praise for their visual presentation and design. Horn's games have been released in compilations for the Nintendo Switch and Xbox, and featured in the 2020 and 2021 horror game compilations "Haunted PS1 Demo Disc" by Irish developer Breogán Hackett.
Career.
Horn began his early career developing fangames using the "RPG Maker" platform and developing short games for game jams including the Global Game Jam, citing these experiences as "important" to his progress to becoming an independent developer. Horn independently develops and self-publishes his games under the name Siactro, working on titles during weekends as "passion projects". He has expressed a preference for developing what he titles as "snack games", being short, simple and inexpensive games that are enjoyable to play. Horn has stated the visual presentation and design of his games draw inspiration from 3D platformers from the 1990s, with his first game, "Kiwi 64", created to "pay tribute" to Rare Nintendo 64 games such as "Banjo Kazooie". Horn cites the decision to pursue this style arose from the desire to capture the "specific feeling" of these games, citing the "unpolished charm" and "experimental" design of platformers from this era.
Horn's games are published independently, but have been compiled for several console releases for the Nintendo Switch and Xbox. In July 2022, Diplodocus Games published a compilation of four titles by Siactro named "Toree's 3D Platformer Collection", including "Toree 3D", "Toree 2", "Macbat 64" and "Regina &amp; Mac". In January 2023, publisher Leoful released "Toree 3D" for the Nintendo Switch as part of the compilation "Super Retro Platformer Collection", alongside Siactro's other titles "Regina &amp; Mac" and "Macbat 64".
Acclaim.
Horn's games have received praise from several outlets for their evocation of early 3D platformers, and associated with the revival of those games by independent developers. Dale Bashir of "IGN" cited the "Toree" series as a "must-play" indie platformer, stating the games "have a lot to offer" and were a "complete homage to PlayStation era platforming." Similarly, "Giant Bomb" praised Siactro's body of work for being "adept at invoking the aesthetic and gameplay of their chosen source material", stating the games "do a fine job crystallizing the essence of what the gaming scene was like at the turn of the millennium by nailing their look and feel".
Works.
Under the name Siactro, Horn has self-published several independent games, listed below:
References.
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