AaaaAAdventure!
A series of arcade games using the microphone as input for playing in different ways.
Experimental Game | C# | Unity Engine | 6 Weeks
My responsibilities included:
-
Gameplay for Platformer / Sidescroller Minigames
I developed the gameplay mechanics for the platformer game and sidescrolling game. This included spawning enemies as obstacles, collectibles, the attack and making everything easy to tweak for the design team. -
Producing Sounds
I designed all sound effects in the game, ensuring that each sound accurately reflected the action on screen and aligned with our chosen artistic language and arcade game format. -
Pitching
I used my knowledge gained during my study course about Media History support the design team with special attention to historical trends and design philosophies.
Behind the Scenes
Background
In our 4th semester, we were tasked with creating an „Experimental Game“ – a project that encouraged us to break free from traditional game development practices and explore new creative possibilities. For our experiment, we decided to work in the style of multiple game jams during our six-week development timeline. This led us to create a series of unique, compact arcade games that pushed our skills and creativity to the limit.
On top of that, we also decided to experiment with technology, thus using a microphone as an alternative input device for the games. This novel approach led to some innovative way to create fun experiences that we couldn’t have achieved with traditional input methods. The end result was a collection of four small, yet engaging games that share a cohesive, minimalistic visual style.
Development
Our team worked on this project during the early days of the pandemic, when remote work was our only option. In line with our experimental theme, we organized our development process into weekly sprints, with the goal of completing one game per week.
As one of the co-programmers on the team, I collaborated closely with my teammate who was responsible for developing the microphone controls and provided valuable support when obstacles arose during the development of our side-scrollers and labyrinth game.
As someone who values polish, I also took on the additional role of the sound designer for the project. Using the bfxr tool, I created sounds from scratch that were tailored to the arcade-style format of our compilation of games.
Despite this game being an “experiment” and the turbulent circumstance of the pandemic, I gained first important experience at collaborating remotely on a game. I am happy to say that the scope of our project was perfectly well chosen to the best interest of the team and the game – and the results are definitely something we are proud of up to this day!
