Illuminate

A PS1 styled platformer, where the player must traverse through the night, using of their flames to light the path. Avoid the consuming darkness, and follow the signs to light the beacon upon the now shadowed town.

My design brief for this project was to create a PS1 era style game.

Itch.io link: https://lukemanga.itch.io/illuminate

Why I chose this project

I created this as one of my course projects in the first semester of my final year. The idea originated as a 2D concept, similar to INK in that you can't really see where you are going by default. However, I both had little experience creating 2D games and also felt making it 3D would allow for more freedom in my designs.

What I learnt

Although not the first time I had created a checkpoint system, this one was both more refined and contained more dynamic features. It also served as a means to guide the player, combined with other assets, such as torches, text and arrows. The level design was also a learning point, with some areas involving tightly packed assets to give layered platforming challenges.

What I enjoyed

Within this project the main aspects that I enjoyed were the implementation of a PS1 art style and the level design. In particular the level iteration that stemmed from experimenting with the game mechanics.

Critical Review

Although not normally an issue, the level I made in this project was longer than the brief recommended. I also ran out of time to add enemies to the game before the deadline. These would have been shadowy entities (potentially clowns) that would rise from temporary areas of shadows, and would be killed by the player's fireballs.