Crystal Catacombs - New Info *Outdated*

-click image for larger view-

Simply put, Crystal Catacombs is a game about exploring randomly generated dungeons, battling random monsters, collecting random treasure and ultimately, uncovering the secret of the perilous Crystal Castle.

When not exploring the Crystal Castles various dungeons, the local town provides a variety of useful shops to aid our hero in his quest.

The Magic Shop and the Weapons Guild

Crystal Catacombs - First Screens

New Game Project - Game/Concept Art
Title: Crystal Catacombs (final title)
Developer: Levels or Lives (Maxwell Jensen)
Platform: PC/Mac
Genre: 2D > Action > Platformer
Completion: 25%


Yeah! A new game!

Crystal Catacombs mixes action platforming with roguelike exploration and RPG elements. The conceptual design was started way back in April while the full-time development schedule began in June.

The captures above are taken from the trailer build that I’m planning on using as a Kickstarter presentation in the near future. If the funding is successful then I’ll be in the market for a whizbang programmer and a wicked awesome musician.

That’s all for now.

Shadow of the Colossus (1991)

Consider this project a practice in game design.

The idea is rather straight forward… How would a newer generation game play, look and feel like if it were originally released during a different gaming era? In this case, I chose to represent the original Game Boy (early 90’s) coupled with Team ICO’s Shadow of the Colossus (2005). The interesting four colored palette and tight resolution of the GB created some fun boundaries to work within. As far as the game design aspect is concerned, playing with these kinds of projects results in a problem solving practice (and for me, a graphical challenge as well) in relation to the translation process between an almost alien generational gap… Interesting stuff.

Note:The original GB technical display specs remain more or less accurate. And yes, I faked the power light ;)

If you’re familiar with SOTC than you know that the game consists of a few simplistic game mechanics that ultimately allow for a powerful and immersive experience. I feel like these mechanics could be translated to even a 2D platformer. With only two buttons and a d-pad I was happily surprised by how smooth the process actually was… This might be a good example of the beautiful game design in relation to the actual Shadow of the Colossus build.

As you can see from the ‘screen shots’ that this version would incorporate all of the same HUD properties but with specific modifications added to bridge the ‘dimensional gaps’, including:

Game Properties and Mechanics:

HUD:

Keeping true to the actual SOTC, the HUD would house all the familiar mechanics a player would expect in a translation including the grip meter, weapon selection and the life bars for both Wander and the Colossi.

Weapon Properties:

Switching between the sword and the bow would be done using the select button. While the sword would act strictly as a melee weapon used for clearing obstructions and damaging the Colossus’ weak points (more on this below) the bow would act as a projectile weapon (duh) that would shoot out at a 90° making it effective against airborne enemies. Holding down the grip button (most likely the ‘B’ button) while using a weapon would result in how much damage the attack would cause (think of Mega Man’s charge attack).

Climbing:

Remember in the original Ninja Gaiden series how Ryu could ‘stick’ to the walls and you’d have to perform that goofy wall jump to reach the top… Yeah, the same principal would apply here. Except while ‘sticking’ to the surface the grip meter would slowly diminish… (I’d like to imagine the wall climb more closely related to how Mega Man X used the mechanic, more so than Ninja Gaidan). If the meter were to reach 0% then the ability to climb the walls is temporarily lost. Walls and the Colossi could both be scaled… Although specific sections of the surfaces would not respond to climbing, or might contain hazards that would inflict damage if not properly avoided.

Colossus Damage:

Notice how in each picture the Colossi have small floating diamonds situated on specific parts of their bodies? These would represent the weak points used to eventually slay the titans. Similar to the real game, after each weak point takes a certain amount of damage it would disappear and a new one would form in another spot eventually leading to a final weak point that would destroy the Colossus.

Level Types:

Each level would play out with a design function that would best fit each Colossus. Some example level types might consist of the following:

-Horizontal Auto-Scroll (Phalanx and Pelagia)

While the screen would roll through a landscape the player would have to maneuver over the terrain while staying ahead of the Colossi and dodging obstacles. The Phalanx stage would be played using Argo, on horseback while Palagia’s stage would center around Wander jumping from one platform to the next.

Vertical Layouts:

Scaling a Colossus vertically (Gaia and Malus) would be a lot like climbing a tower… as far as 2D gameplay goes. The player would maneuver upwards while dodging obstacles and hazards. If the game were to up the difficulty, falling damage could be incorporated… If the game were just plain evil then something like the ‘pit’ could be included that would result in instant death if the player fell below the bottom of the screen (remember Contra?) As evil as that might be… The actual SOTC used a similar mechanic concerning falling damage.


All in all, this was a cool little project. I find that for myself, its a nice option to have a smaller project on the side while working on a larger one… While I didn’t cover all of the design properties (there are a TON, even with the simplest games) I feel like I covered the basics to portray the idea I was going for.

Thanks for reading

Blind

PS Beastie

Sea Strike! - Pen and Ink Outline

Click here for a high quality version.

And you thought your commute home was rough...

We work hard, we play hard.

Freeware Profile: Gamma Bros.
Devloper: PixelJam
Platform: PC and Mac
Genre: Space Shooter

What happens when you combine the classic EGA/VGA low-resolution visual style of the early 90's PC titles with the acquired knowledge and limitless potential of modern gaming mechanics? Gamma Bros! A seemingly simplistic freeware title that at first may have a rather incomplex surface but once you begin to explore the gameplay you can really start to appreciate the love and effort that went into creating this wonderful game. By combining the time tested and classic 'Space Shooter' arcade genre with the solid foundation of modern gameplay and rewards this game truly proves that while the retro days of gaming may be dwarfed by today's AAA titles and million dollar budgets, all you really need is an understanding of the fundamentals of game design, some elbow grease and a little nostalgic love to produce a timeless game.

Gamma Bros. plays somewhat like a mixture of Gradius and Galaga, complete with swarming enemy formations, power-ups, upgrades and the fast, frantic gameplay you would come to expect from any great arcade shooter. Meaning that the game is easy to pick up on but requires some time and practice to master. The controls are simple, using the arrow keys in combination with the W, A, S and D keys allows your ship to move and shoot in four directions, similar to the controls used in titles like Smash T.V. The difficulty level begins nice and easy, slowly building up to a chaotic fast paced frag fest that requires quick reaction time and steady eye-hand coordination.

From the title screen the attention to detail is apparent, if you watch closely you'll see several separate scenarios playing out at once as the two Gamma Bros. hustle back and forth fiddling with computers, dialing knobs, pressing buttons and even taking a break to get a drink from the water cooler. There's also busy little helper robots that bustle to-and-fro. Very cool.

As soon as the player hits start and chooses their bro to play as the game begins. The catchy (awesome) theme song kicks in and you're off! Immediately upon exiting the large space station swarms of enemies begin to attack from every direction, enemy ships organize in formation and attack in sequence. Dodging and weaving while blasting away the squadrons of enemies you'll collect coins and power-up capsules that are left behind from defeated foes. These include temporary speed and firing boosts as well as health, shields, destructive smart bombs and invincibility capsules. Every so often a small ship towing gun upgrades, new ships and other useful items sails steadily across the screen, if you've collected enough coins these upgrades are extremely useful. By providing these rewards the gameplay value is accentuated, keeping the players interest focused on reaching that next gun or ship upgrade, becoming that much more powerful.

If the life bar reaches zero your ship is destroyed but you still have one more chance! As your ship explodes into pieces your Gamma Bro will be able to zoom through space via jet-pack and bubble helmet, allowing for one more hit to be taken before being destroyed. If you're lucky and still have the other Gamma Bro alive he'll eventually come coasting back onto the screen and you can then touch him to switch off via tag team. It's even possible to reacquire a lost ship, when buying a new shuttle the old one will be boarded and piloted by the other bro. A very well executed and helpful mechanic.

The battles are heated and fast, as you blast the attackers to 'bits', square colored plumes of smoke bellow as tiny fragments of scrap metal swirl out into space. Each enemy has a specific AI and method of attack, ranging from the simple drones who slowly form small groups to the quick and nimble spacemen (my personal favorite) who dive bomb and shoot fast pulsing lasers. Of course no space shooter would be complete without the infamous bosses. Sudden and tough, even the first boss encounter consists of pitting the player against three deadly quick battleships equipped with an array of wicked weaponry, from heat seeking missiles, tri-laser beams and even a giant destruct-o beam (that's what I'm calling it anyway). Throughout these battles I found myself so immersed in the gameplay it took me a moment to realize just how in-tuned I was with the action. I believe that connection is what all gamers seek, the thrill of the moment... That lovely video adrenaline rush.

Shoot, move and SHOOT!

The music switches from an ambient, deep, thick bass drive to a sudden shift in gears becoming a faster, more intense melody when a new event begins. It's a great effect for carrying the player along, heightening suspense and then snapping into an action sequence. My favorite part about the music is that it's entirely composed of the familiar bleeps and bloops we've all come to know and love from yesteryear... Except it has a more modern structure, a more "21st Century" attitude.

Gamma Bros. is a title that every gamer, new and old alike should play. It houses so many solid gameplay mechanics and is abundant with enough variety and rewards to keep the player coming back again and again. Besides, these guys are giving you a grade 'A' game for FREE! I can't stress it enough, go download it today! PixelJam has created some really unique titles that all have rich attention to detail, solid gameplay elements and tons of replay value to boot... Each one is definitely worth checking out.

PixelJam.com