For this 2nd year solo project, I designed a prototype around the pillars of 'One Button', 'Look Before You Leap' and 'Pride Before A Fall'.
For this 2nd year solo project, I designed a prototype around the pillars of 'One Button', 'Look Before You Leap' and 'Pride Before A Fall'.
The player must aim and click strategically to jump on other damned souls as they ascend the depths of Hell, while staying wary of their Pride. The Pride mechanic can be used to give an extra boost if managed well, but will otherwise become Hubris and send the player plummeting back to the start.
Although this project started with a simple idea, it allowed me to explore various mechanics and aesthetics to polish the prototype as much as possible. Adaptable spawn rates, extra ghost types and 2D lighting really helped flesh out the project to feel more like a full game. Playtesting and balancing the game was probably the trickiest aspect, and still not perfect.
In retrospect, there are still too few spirits spawning after a major boost, and I think I should've made the green spirit reset Pride to 3 instead of 1 so the player can still boost afterwards, but overall it's still a fun experience and meets all the design pillars.