MY FRIEND FEAR
BACKGROUND
Last spring I took Media Device Architectures, a class that taught me low level programming in C language. Over the course of the semester, we made multiple interesting projects including a stack calculator and Space Invaders. For our final project, we were asked to build a GameBoy game from start to finish using all the principles of design and gameplay we gained during the class. This was my chance to really explore my design aesthetic and my interest in metaphorical and abstract ideas, alongside my fascination in film noir.
REQUIREMENTS
I loved the creative freedom. Besides the basic requirements listed below, the rest was up to us!
Two animated sprites
Multiple backgrounds
Clear win and lose states
Splash screens
Pause ability
Music
Cheat (for those who don't "game")
INITIAL SCRIBBLES
My mind was chaos with all the ideas I had. After iterating through various ideas, realistically gauging how successful they were with time and capability constraints, I finally built an idea for my final project. Below are some initial thoughts I had about the development of my game. I knew one thing for sure: I loved the game Limbo and wanted it to be the main inspiration.
GAME CONCEPT
Because I wanted to incorporate many of the qualities and aesthetics listed in my initial concepts and build a game that spoke to my interests in film noir and abstract gaming, I decided to explore themes that resonated with people on a more psychological level. Limbo, my main inspiration, gamifies the curiosity behind being caught in a temporary state and unknown. I wanted my final project to surround basic fears human-kind face. Each level would explore a fear – whether it be fear of love, of judgement, of time, of failure, of change etc. To keep it abstract, I pictured artistic representations of each fear – eyes that follow as one walks down the hall (judgement) or the sound of a clock ticking forming a sense of rush and anxiety (time). I hoped for my game to incite feelings of fear in my players and urge them to conquer these rudimental fears rather than succumb to them.
GAME PLAY
After studying the "Game Maker's Toolkit" by Mark Brown, I learned that effective game play can sometimes mean taking a simple action and allowing it to be the main device for manipulation. In Nintendo's Super Mario Bros, Mario takes a simple action of jumping and uses it to gain coins, defeat enemies, and ultimately win the princess back. I wanted to emulate this tactic for my game.
Attempting to create an artistic and minimalist atmosphere, I pictured a dark suited man walking through the streets on a rainy day, carrying an umbrella. I developed this thought and produced a nameless main character and his action throughout the game (using his umbrella).
Pressing the up arrow, the player could ward off his fears, push down detonators, and shield himself from the cold rain.
With every machine, in this case the game boy emulator, there comes limitations which can sometimes hinder vision. With memory constraints and time restrictions, I had to cut the number of levels of my game. Each level was meant to be a fear one faces. From three levels I had to reduce it to two. First is fear of judgement and the second, fear of time. In the future I hope to implement more levels to give the game a more cohesive feel.
Below are some initial iterations of the sprites for my game as well as some of the final sprites. The mood of the game and characters was to be dark, minimalist, and cynical. Using Usenti and Photoshop, I began designing with this in mind. Unfortunately, as much as I hoped to emulate the design of Limbo, it was not possible. Each iteration, I found my designs becoming more and more simplified. The nature of the game boy emulator is such that the more detail, the less clear the sprite animation is. From elaborate line work to blocky pixels, my designs developed into a less romantic version of what I had hoped for. Such is the reality of development. Sometimes what one envisions just won't work. I had to compromise.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Media Device Architectures was more than coding in C. It was a class which vowed to build us into better designers, and did just that. I saw how the first idea may not be the last idea, and that through iterations what you get in the end is strong, aesthetically pleasing, efficient, and beautiful design. I generated a ton of ideas, scrapped parts that wouldn't work, and added features that creatively brought my piece together. I built with the player in mind but more importantly I built with passion and wholeheartedly stuck to my vision!
Check it out: My Friend Fear.