Solo game project. A side-scroller platformer where the player “live-streams” their performance and earn Likes as they play each level.
The protagonist Blake is a magician using card tricks to progress and outperform their rivals. Attack badies, defend from attack and use various magic tricks to reach the goal and impress the audience !
| Genre | 2D Platformer |
| Platform | PC |
| Number of players | 1 |
Solo project, but so little time…
Project DAD begun back in 2021, during the end of the Covid-19 lockdown. At the time, young graduates like me had trouble getting hired in game studios and had to settle for part-time jobs to pay the bills. To keep my skills in check, and perhaps to test my own abilities at game development, I started drafting a game all of my own in between my part-time job shifts.
The genre of the game, 2D side-scroller platformer, is one of my favorite to play and create. Inspired by the masters of the genre like Mario, Kirby and Shovel Knight, I aimed to develop a basic prototype that could be expanded into a full game if I was ever given the time and funds.
Still, I managed to create a satisfactory result given the low amount of hours I put in it. Using the Game Maker Studio engine, I was able to write the code for the character controls, screen transitions and other features as well. The development of the game was then cut short by an unexpected job offer from Ubisoft Annecy. A bittersweet ending for a game that was never meant to be !
The weird world of Project DAD
While the genre of the game came from a old desire to create a platformer, its setting and worldbuilding have much more trendy origins.
With the lockdown preventing outdoor activities, people spent more time online than ever, and the world of gaming and livestreaming exploded in popularity.
In particular, a specific niche of content creators began to gain traction in the Americas and Europe : Virtual Youtubers, or V-Tubers for short.
I was amazed by the amount of creativity put by creators to bring their original anime-inspired avatars to life and entertain their audience. Their designs were as varied as their content, so it felt like there was something for everyone.
I was not interested in creating a V-Tuber persona myself, but their various designs and backstories were a gold mine of inspiration for me as I wrote messy story drafts. That’s how the world of Project Dad, where every internet user is represented by an avatar of their creation, came into existence.
Character Design : Blake
The protagonist Blake was inspired by my favorite character archetype, the confident hero. The character design was made by an artist I commissionned, while their in-game sprite in the prototype was roughly made by yours truly.
Blake is a cocky magician who aims to get famous with their magic tricks. They are up against the Divas, who are the top popular streamer adored by fans around the world. Set as the anti-hero of the story, Blake highjacks the popular streams and takes the spotlight for themselves by defeating the Divas during boss fights.
Blake’s weapon is a set of playcards that can be thrown at enemies for quick damage, or combined to be used for a magic trick that deals more damage.
Features
- Moving character
- Attack mechanics “Card Throw” & “Magic Trick”
- Parallax Background
- Dialog boxes with text sounds
Handled Game Design, Programming, Narrative Design, 2D sprites.