When beginning this project, I knew I had to create my own world inspired by things that would keep me personally interested in working. At first I looked into one of my favourite horror games, Little Nightmares, and went through its artwork. This is what first brought the idea of making a platform sci fi horror game. My first ideas were to lean towards a space theme or a day and night system.
Mindmap + initial ideas
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Since my handwriting is messy I’ll be writing out my plannings from my notebook onto the site throughout the project.
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First Inspirations
- Little Nightmares 1 & 2 - Lies of P - Hollow Knight - Silent Hill 2 & 3 - Final Fantasy 16 |
- Platform game? Isometric view similar to Hades series? Could this also include characters containing their own sprites during dialogue?
Characters base off solar system and / or galaxy (stars, black holes, asteroids, etc) |
Protagonist cape design
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“Star companion” design
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One of the first sketches I did while brainstorming was what I visioned as the protagonist and their companion. Keeping them space theme I created the young girl to be similar to a star to possibly introduce the idea of using her to solve puzzles throughout the game.
Laying out concept
Pinterest board
This will be updated regularly with all my references I find online throughout the project
Brainstorming Sun / Moon
This was the first designs I gave the boss enemies of the game that ended up being the biggest leap towards what the current design of my game is. Sticking with the space theme I thought it would be interesting to create the god like enemies based off the planets. For this example I created the Sun and the Moon, both designs I wanted to match in some way to give the impression of them being related.
Style References
When I settled on horror elements for my game, the first example I looked into was Little Nightmares, a horror platforming game with unsettling designs. Their use of extended limbs and smiles caught my interest the most.
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Initial ideas for boss fights / shop
Design references
When it came to creating more official designs for my main characters, I wanted to look into outfits or accessorises that gave off the feeling of royalty or power.
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One of the first design I sketched for a potential world of my game. During this time of the project I had in mind to design each planet a world where their boss fight would be, but this is also where I began having trouble with some issues that had me changing the games plan to be set all in one world and split off into sections.
“Sun” world
Second Moon design
Second Sun design with profile ideas and corrupted sprite
Plans of perspective for game
Sun & Moon world
After a couple weeks of working through possible designs and ideas, I knew I had to change the plan I had in mind to make it realistic and swap it for a stylised look. This was simply because I had a lot of difficulty meeting the same expectations for detailed designs.
Protagonist ideas
Personify a star? old ones that die off / make them as Pluto? No longer apart of either kingdom, stuck in the middle ground of the world.
Possible small companion to be used for any specific puzzles (similar to the lantern from Lies of P?) could help light the way in the moon area.
Plot ideas
Planets from the solar system are defeated one by one by the player as a form of revenge for being kicked out the solar system. (This would follow the Pluto as protagonist plot line)
Solar systems corrupted, up to the protagonist to fight each one. Maybe as a way to ‘snap them out’. Could look into the FF16 corruption plot in cities as inspiration? An unknown power that lures the characters of the story to it. Corrupted planets could have four forms to slowly seep into the horror aspect I want to incorporate.
1st encounter - corruption has already began through characters, yet not visibly noticeable to the player at the time. Black silhouette with a main colour theme?
2nd encounter - change in dialogue, physically different in limbs and darker colour palette.
3rd encounter - some horror monster form that would become the boss fight? Look into Little Nightmares, Evil Within, Alice Madness.
4th encounter - after battle they’ll return to a similar look from their 1st encounter, lighter colours.
After each boss fight the player would be gifted a weapon personal to each boss. When given the gift it could be in the form of their respective planet that is added to the protagonists character design, similar to a belt maybe? That when equipped becomes tje weapon given.
Personify a star? old ones that die off / make them as Pluto? No longer apart of either kingdom, stuck in the middle ground of the world.
Possible small companion to be used for any specific puzzles (similar to the lantern from Lies of P?) could help light the way in the moon area.
Plot ideas
Planets from the solar system are defeated one by one by the player as a form of revenge for being kicked out the solar system. (This would follow the Pluto as protagonist plot line)
Solar systems corrupted, up to the protagonist to fight each one. Maybe as a way to ‘snap them out’. Could look into the FF16 corruption plot in cities as inspiration? An unknown power that lures the characters of the story to it. Corrupted planets could have four forms to slowly seep into the horror aspect I want to incorporate.
1st encounter - corruption has already began through characters, yet not visibly noticeable to the player at the time. Black silhouette with a main colour theme?
2nd encounter - change in dialogue, physically different in limbs and darker colour palette.
3rd encounter - some horror monster form that would become the boss fight? Look into Little Nightmares, Evil Within, Alice Madness.
4th encounter - after battle they’ll return to a similar look from their 1st encounter, lighter colours.
After each boss fight the player would be gifted a weapon personal to each boss. When given the gift it could be in the form of their respective planet that is added to the protagonists character design, similar to a belt maybe? That when equipped becomes tje weapon given.
Simplified Sun design
The plan during these designs of the Sun and Moon was to create four stages. Inspired by the sprites work from Hades and No Straight Roads, I wanted to create similar sprites myself that would appear during the interactions between the protagonist and these characters.
Simplified Moon design
One of the sketches I did focuses on these statues, which I got quite invested in the idea of large statues that stand guard in front of any entrances throughout the kingdom.
World view / map
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Hades 2
One of if not my biggest inspiration from this project comes from both Hades games. They’re a rouge-like dungeon crawler set around Greek mythology. The most captivating part about is to me is its sprites, portraits specially designed for each character you interact with. Recently I got the chance to try out their sequel and noticed that there is a difference in the designs between characters who are aware of the protagonists existence, black and silver featured with moon crescents for those are and the usual gold and sunny lighting for those not.
This gave me my solution to my games world plan, create one world by itself and split them into two kingdoms. One kingdom above that is for the sun and a flipped kingdom underneath for the moon.
This gave me my solution to my games world plan, create one world by itself and split them into two kingdoms. One kingdom above that is for the sun and a flipped kingdom underneath for the moon.
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World
Split kingdom by black hole? Sun kingdom on top, moon flipped below.
Since my world is split in between a sun and moon kingdom, I plan to split the rest of the planets from the solar system to be apart of either one. I found it easier to assign them to a side by the colour tone of their planet, warmer toned go to the sun and cool toned go to the moon, since I have an orange and blue / purple theme going on.
Sun - Venus, Mars, Saturn, Jupiter
Moon - Mercury, Neptune, Uranus, Earth
The protagonist begins where the two kingdoms split, a section where characters who don’t align with either side reside.
Split kingdom by black hole? Sun kingdom on top, moon flipped below.
Since my world is split in between a sun and moon kingdom, I plan to split the rest of the planets from the solar system to be apart of either one. I found it easier to assign them to a side by the colour tone of their planet, warmer toned go to the sun and cool toned go to the moon, since I have an orange and blue / purple theme going on.
Sun - Venus, Mars, Saturn, Jupiter
Moon - Mercury, Neptune, Uranus, Earth
The protagonist begins where the two kingdoms split, a section where characters who don’t align with either side reside.
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Protagonist
Weapons
I wanted each “planet” to possess a weapon or give one as a reward for the player for defeating them.
Sun
Sword and shield, shield holds a long sword. Can switch between holding either or both, shield can give barrier and thrown after long cool-down, only holding sword gives short range and light damage but more speed. When equipped both they can be used for long range attacks.
Sword and shield, shield holds a long sword. Can switch between holding either or both, shield can give barrier and thrown after long cool-down, only holding sword gives short range and light damage but more speed. When equipped both they can be used for long range attacks.
Moon
A catalyst design with the lunar phases around. The protagonist could manipulate the moon in eight quick attacks. The gold rings spin to recharge.
A catalyst design with the lunar phases around. The protagonist could manipulate the moon in eight quick attacks. The gold rings spin to recharge.
Saturn
Inspired by ring blades, the rings are two blades that could be held as one when not used / not activated. When split they light up and can be thrown long range distances before flying back.
Inspired by ring blades, the rings are two blades that could be held as one when not used / not activated. When split they light up and can be thrown long range distances before flying back.
Finalising a world
Sun Kingdom
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Moon Kingdom
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Moon Kingdom
Pillar designs