- Starting heroes
- 4
- Classic routes
- 10
- Playable builds
- V1 + V2
- Public build
- Classic HD
The experiment began in traffic
The first Founderman was a Summer Into AI competition entry built around a familiar boss-select loop. Pick a founder. Pick a stage. Beat its boss. Take the weapon. Bring the growing arsenal to the final fight. The game had four playable founders, charged shots, sliding, touch controls, hard bosses, and a tiny 1776 coat of paint.
Two months later, a slow commute produced a useful question: could the game be rebuilt without sanding away the part that made it fun? Founderman 2 changes the art, scale, animation, timing, stage geometry, and encounter presentation. It keeps the decisions that make a stage feel like Founderman.
Same campaign question, different screen
| System | What stayed | What changed or grew |
|---|---|---|
| Campaign loop | Choose a boss route, clear the stage, win its weapon, and prepare for the final Crown fight. | The route presentation, progression feedback, checkpoints, and encounter framing were expanded. |
| Player verbs | Run, use a variable jump, slide, fire, charge a shot, and switch weapons. | Timing, collision, stage geometry, and the way attacks read on screen were retuned. |
| Patriot roster | Washington, Revere, Franklin, and Jefferson begin with different special abilities. | Each hero received new character art and motion. Founderman becomes an unlockable postgame hero. |
| Boss fights | Every route ends with a boss whose weakness rewards a growing arsenal. | Bosses gained larger animation sets, clearer telegraphs, phase presentation, and wider arenas. |
| Art direction | The Revolutionary cast, locations, and playful historical remix remain recognizable. | Small pixel figures became illustrated anime characters, layered environments, effects, and authored interface art. |
The route still feels familiar
The rebuild works because it protects the order of decisions. A player can recognize the old loop even when almost every visible object has changed.
- Choose a patriotStart with Washington, Revere, Franklin, or Jefferson.
- Choose a routePick a boss stage and inspect the weakness trail.
- Cross the stageRun, jump, slide, and read the revised encounter timing.
- Use the arsenalFire, charge, and switch weapons when the current answer stops working.
- Break the bossWatch the telegraph, use the arena, and earn the boss weapon.
- Face the CrownCarry the completed loadout into the final route.
The rebuild in motion
Two posts, two versions
The source record catches the project on both sides of the experiment. The competition entry explains the game loop and its first four founders. The later field note asks how far a rebuild can move before it becomes a different game.
June 21, 2026 · Competition entry
The first Founderman chose the loop
The Week 1 build established four founders, special abilities, boss weapons, hard stages, music, and a final fight.
Read the original competition entry
August 21, 2026 · Build note
Then the pixels became anime
The second post records the visual leap, the new sprite work, and the rough edges that still needed attention.
Read the Founderman 2 build noteReskinning was the easy part
A different picture can cover the same collision box. That alone does not preserve feel. Larger characters change how a jump looks. Wider frames change what the player can see before committing. New motion can make an old attack seem slower or faster even when its numbers remain close.
Founderman 2 treats the original as a playable reference. The verbs and campaign rhythm provide the control group. Art, animation, timing, encounters, and presentation are allowed to move. If a change makes the old decision unreadable, it has changed too much.