Development Info Role: Game & Level Designer, Scripting, Art/UI Design Team Size: 4 Time: 5 Weeks Tech: Construct 2 Platform: HTML5 - Android/iOS or Desktop Genre: Platformer |
Responsibilities
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Game Overview
ASCEND is a treacherous 2D platformer in which you move primarily in one direction: Up. This game was created during my internship at The Sheep's Meow.
The art in the game is intentionally made out of simple shapes and a limited color palette. Almost every object in the game is in grayscale. The only objects in the game that have color are the hazards, which are bright red and stand out from everything else. The game has a simplistic feel to it, which I think is less intimidating to new players and is fun to watch.
The art in the game is intentionally made out of simple shapes and a limited color palette. Almost every object in the game is in grayscale. The only objects in the game that have color are the hazards, which are bright red and stand out from everything else. The game has a simplistic feel to it, which I think is less intimidating to new players and is fun to watch.
Design Process
Limited Controls
I wanted the controls to be much more limited than traditional platformers for two reasons:
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Players can only move up or down to avoid hazards. They must rely on moving platforms to carry them left or right.
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Level Design - Variety
Before designing the swipe-down movement mechanic, creating levels with interesting variation was a challenge. How do you add variety to the levels when you can only move up? It wasn't easy, and I was running out of ideas to keep the levels new and fresh. This is what inspired the idea of a fall-through mechanic, which allowed players to drop under a platform by swiping down on the screen. This allowed me to design levels where the player was not only moving up, but now also moving back down and across the level to reach their destination. The levels become much harder and you will die... a lot
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A quick introduction to the platform fall-through ability
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