Siactro is the studio and mononym of German independent

video game developer A video game developer is a software developer specializing in video game development – the process and related disciplines of creating video games. A game developer can range from one person who undertakes all tasks to a large business with em ...

Marcus Horn. Horn's work, including games such as ''

Toree 3D ''Toree 3D'' is a video game developed by Siactro, the professional name of independent developer Marcus Horn. Described as a "bite-sized 3D Platformer with a few weird elements", ''Toree 3D'' is a platform game inspired by the visual design and ...

'', ''Super Kiwi 64'' and ''Macbat 64'', imitate early 3D

platformers A platformer (also called a platform game, and sometimes a jump 'n' run game) is a subgenre of action game in which the core objective is to move the player character between points in an environment. Platform games are characterized by levels wi ...

on consoles including the

Nintendo 64 The (N64) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Nintendo. It was released in Japan on June 23, 1996, in North America on September 29, 1996, and in Europe and Australia on March 1, 1997. As the successor to the Super Nintendo E ...

, and have received praise for their visual presentation and design. Horn's games have been released in compilations for the

Nintendo Switch The is a video game console developed by Nintendo and released worldwide in most regions on March 3, 2017. Released in the middle of the Eighth generation of video game consoles, eighth generation of home consoles, the Switch succeeded the ...

and

Xbox Xbox is a video gaming brand that consists of four main home video game console lines, as well as application software, applications (games), the streaming media, streaming service Xbox Cloud Gaming, and online services such as the Xbox networ ...

, and featured in the 2020 and 2021

horror game A horror game is a video game genre centered on horror fiction and typically designed to scare the player. The term may also be used to describe tabletop games with horror fiction elements. Unlike most other video game genres, which are classif ...

compilations '' Haunted PS1 Demo Disc'' by Irish developer Breogán Hackett.

Career

Horn began his early career developing

fangame A fan game is a video game that is created by fans of a certain topic or IP. They are usually based on one, or in some cases several, video game entries or franchises. Many fan games attempt to clone or remake the original game's design, game ...

s using the ''

RPG Maker ''RPG Maker'', known in Japan as , is a series of programs for the development of role-playing video games (RPGs) with genre-driven varieties as well as machinima, originally created by the Japanese group ASCII. The Japanese name, ''Tsukūru'', ...

'' platform and developing short games for

game jam A game jam is an event where participants try to make a video game from scratch. Depending on the format, participants might work independently, or in teams. The event duration usually ranges from 24 to 72 hours. Participants are generally program ...

s including the

Global Game Jam The Global Game Jam (GGJ) is an annual distributed Game Jam, game jam. Inspired by the Nordic Game Jam, and created by Susan Gold, Ian Schreiber, Gorm Lai and Foaad Khosmood, originally developed under the IGDA, International Game Developers ...

, 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

from the 1990s, with his first game, ''Kiwi 64'', created to "pay tribute" to Rare

games such as ''

Banjo-Kazooie ''Banjo-Kazooie'' is a platform game series developed by Rare, a British company. The games feature a male bear named Banjo and his friend, a large female red bird named Kazooie, both of whom are controlled by the player. Banjo originally mad ...

''. 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

from this era. Horn's games are published independently, but have been compiled for several console releases for the

and

. 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 & Mac''. In January 2023, publisher Leoful released ''Toree 3D'' for the

as part of the compilation ''Super Retro Platformer Collection'', alongside Siactro's other titles ''Regina & Mac'' and ''Macbat 64''.

Acclaim

Horn's games have received praise from several outlets for their evocation of early 3D

, and associated with the revival of those games by independent developers. Dale Bashir of ''

IGN ''IGN'' is an American video gaming and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa district and is headed by its former e ...

'' cited the ''Toree'' series as a "must-play" indie

platformer A platformer (also called a platform game, and sometimes a jump 'n' run game) is a subgenre of action game in which the core objective is to move the player character between points in an environment. Platform games are characterized by levels wi ...

, stating the games "have a lot to offer" and were a "complete homage to

PlayStation is a video gaming brand owned and produced by Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE), a division of Japanese conglomerate Sony. Its flagship products consists of a series of home video game consoles produced under the brand; it also consists ...

era platforming." Similarly, ''

Giant Bomb ''Giant Bomb'' is an American video game website and wiki that includes personality-driven gaming videos, commentary, news and reviews, created by former ''GameSpot'' editors Jeff Gerstmann and Ryan Davis. The website was voted by ''Time (maga ...

'' 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

{{reflist German video game designers Indie game developers Living people Video game writers Year of birth missing (living people)