Untitled Castle Game

Origins

This game originally is based off of a similar game that we had to make for game design II - a platformer that featured 3 different characters with different characteristics (which is where the basis for the camera code came from). You can click this link to see more on this game, but below are some pictures of the original inspiration:

As can be seen, it is very basic, and I wanted to expand on this idea for a capstone project that would hopefully add to my portfolio, as well as something I could work on past then. Thus was this game born.

Concept

Originally, I wanted 3 different characters, one with the power of grappling, which allows for the player to go to areas the other characters can’t reach normally, one for elemental manipulation, such as electricity and fire, allowing for them to damage enemies as well as activate parts of the environment such as switches or torches, and one with telekinesis, which would allow for players to be able to unveil new areas (this one isn’t currently in the game). I also originally wanted multiple levels, however that didn’t end up working due to some complications I had through the process.

Character 1: Grappler

*art is not final

This is by far the simplest mechanically to understand while simultaneously being the most difficult to program. While the other two are reliant on the environment to interact with, this character can grapple anywhere, allowing for them to reach areas the other characters can’t jump to. However, they can only grapple once per jump. This can provide for some interesting timed challenges (something a la Spider Man for the GameCube and Playstation 2) to get rewards that would otherwise be unobtainable.

Character 2: Elemental Manipulation

While in the final capstone version, this ended up becoming a one element pony, the original plan was to have this character be able to manipulate 3 elements - fire, lightning, and its own size. The size changing would have helped discover new areas and be able to push heavy buttons the other characters could push, something akin to the morph ball in super metroid. Fire would have been useful for dealing damage to enemies as well as lighting up torches throughout the castle, revealing new areas (something akin to the Zelda series). Lightning, the element that ended up being the only element in the capstone version, can be used to damage enemies, but also to turn on and off switches, allowing for blocks to be there that weren’t there before, allowing for players to reach new areas they couldn’t reach before. This could also be used for timed challenges, requiring players to switch through blocks to platform through an area to get rewards they couldn’t otherwise.

Character 3: Enemy Manipulation

Character 3 was easily the one I had the most trouble working with. I couldn’t figure out what would be interesting while setting it apart from the other characters. I originally played with the idea of telekinesis, though it felt a bit weak compared to the other characters and was less useful overall. While I was sitting down to make the different types of enemies (which never got put into the game itself unfortunately), an idea struck. What if I did something similar to Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow, and allowed for the player to use enemy abilities? Thus, telekinesis turned to enemy manipulation. With the press of a button, the character becomes the enemy, giving full access over its move set and stats, allowing for versatility in fighting without exposing yourself to danger, movement in ways that aren't possible with the other characters (for example, flying), as well the original telekinesis, allowing blocks to be moved that only the enemy would be able to see. Unfortunately, this did not get made in time for the capstone presentation, but as this will still be in development past this point, pictures should be posted!

Paper Map

I wanted this level to be a demo of using all 3 character abilities, so it was designed with that purpose. Originally, there were plans to have more than one enemy type, as well as blocks they could manipulate, however since character 3 was not made in time, the level was update to be as follows:

This level is more to showcase the lightning ability of player 2, as well as how useful the grappling can be. The switch on the bottom will start out blue, showing the blue blocks, but pressing it will allow it to turn red, making the blue blocks disappear, and the red blocks appear. This changes the layout of the level, allowing for better exploration.

Video Walkthrough (as of April 28, 2022)

What's Next?

While the demo turned out well, there is always improvements to be had, and I never did finish making all I wanted to for this game. Next on the list is going to be finishing player 2's abilities, and making different types of enemies for player 3 to control. I will update this site when progress is made on those!