Concept
This 2D platformer game was the first game I worked on. This is a game where each time you die you get further back in the level and where you start at around the halfway point. When going back to your dead body you can pick a power up and they consist of positive and negative conditions (buffs/ debuffs). The goal is to reach the end. Levels are both horizontal and vertical in nature, and a Boss fight exists at the end of the third level.
The playable version can be found here. Playable Version
Mechanics and Goal
This started from a challenge to create a game where death was essential to the game loop and to have game modifiers.
The flow of the game is that of a standard platformer, but when the player dies, a power-up coin that contains a random buff and a random debuff spawns, and the player character respawns at x distance behind. With each death that distance gets progressively bigger. Powerups can also just be obtained by going to the floating powerup coins throughout the map, but with a limit to two (the player must die again to be able to obtain others - can be done manually by exploding).
The buffs and debuffs serve to give variety to the game's encounters and change the gameplay.
The player doesn't automatically spawn with buffs and debuffs, in order to influence the exploration through the map. And the greater the player's knowledge of the map, the easier it becomes to know where the death occurred, and to get to the power-up faster.
In order to make sure that the player dies at least once, we have created objects that are explosive environments that the player has to destroy. Some block paths and others hide power-ups.
Each level is different, with the first being the most simplistic, the second a bottom-up level, and the third including the aforementioned boss fight.
The goal of the game is to reach the end of the level with at least one life.
Core Mechanics
The player has lateral movement, a floating jump (that can be intentionally boosted if jumping off ladders), and the ability to shoot. The buffs and debuffs alter gameplay.
For buffs either in the forms of straight buffs such as additional damage, speed or lives, or additional modifiers such as extra jumps, higher jumps, or shields. For debuffs, in the same way either by increasing incoming damage, lowering speed and damage, or the two more unique modifiers, draining health over time or locking the camera view not allowing the player to see as much of the map and surrounding area. As mentioned, the player can also manually kill himself by exploding, and doing so near red barriers will open additional paths.
Enemies & Traps
The game features 3 main enemy types (some with variants). The frog creature, which spits out ranged venom balls, and does not move (only changes direction left and right according to the player position).
The roaming sword-wielding space knight beings which are melee combatants which follow the player around (one of the variants roams a set path and if it encounters the player follows him, and if it loses him goes back to roaming; the other is in a set position and if it detects the player it never stops following and trying to slash the player down).
Finally there is the flying monster (with two variants), that tries to get on top of the player and drop bombs, which can also destroy the areas which typically can only be destroyed by the player blowing themselves up.
For the final map we also decided to create a more complex boss fight, which focuses on a massive sword-wielding enemy, which at certain points is supported by hordes of the other enemies, particularly the flying monsters (this is my personal favorite and most chaotic part of the game).
Map Design & Player Hints
The three maps were designed with different ideas in mind, the first being a tutorial-like level with easier to beat opponents and less punishing map layouts.
The second is a long vertical map filled with booby traps which at some points will require the player to figure out how to boost their jumps with ladders (this information is never outright given to the player), alongside having to navigate the most dangerous environment, which unlike the others, a wrong fall can cause major setbacks in progress, and outside of the boss in the final level, is technically the hardest map to beat.
The final level is horizontal like the first and has more path variety with a lot more sword-wielding space knight enemies, which ends in the boss room and its unique boss fight.
Aside from their layouts we also decided to theme them differently with the first level being a calm-outdoors environment (mario-like). The second a mountainside dungeon cave where the goal is to reach the top (and the other end of the mountain). Which reveals the third, more moody environment of the third level which starts in a swampy forest lab, the night looming, the environment getting darker, followed by the red boss arena and ending with a rising sun after.
Scattered throughout the map we also put many signs to assist the players in their first playthroughs on which paths ... may... be the best to follow.
UI
The buffs and debuffs are displayed visually on the top-right of the player screen, which along the top-left has indication of the current health (and overshield if one is applied) and the lives remaining.
There were also screens created for victories, losses (per level and for the whole game - beating the three levels) and a control screen (fixed - not allowing for control changes).
Development
The game was fully built using Unity and external assets for all visual and audio assets (full documentation in itch.io game page). The main character controller uses the older movement controls and is set up only for PC, Mac and WebGL with mouse and keyboard.
Conclusion
This was an incredibly fun first project to do as my first ever "video game", and it gave me my first real taste of working as a team building a game. I would highly encourage you to give it a try! Playable Version
If I ever was to come back to it my main focus would be some more complex jumps, more complex levels, new enemy types, and a backstory for all of it.