The Chain is a top-down puzzle game that was created in a team of three people during the summer of 2018. The game is build around one specific mechanic of being chained up to a wall. The length of the chain determines where you can go, and the player has to work around this limitation to solve puzzles in order to progress through the game. The game uses pixel-art and is set in a dark dungeon with gritty music. In the image below you can see how the chain can limit the player in the game.
In the project I was mainly is charge of game design, project management and visual assets. I also had to do quite a bit of programming. More specifically, my tasks were:
- Brainstorming and developing the games mechanics
- Sketching out, testing and implementing the puzzles and the level layout
- Preparing and conducting game-testing sessions
- Creating visual assets for the game
- Managing deadlines and project tasks
- Preparing team-meetings and work sessions
- Helping out with programming where and when it was needed
The goal of the project was to create something new and challenging for the team members and to improve as game developers and designers. We tried to work with the specific idea of the player being chained to the wall, with the goal being to have the player constantly have to think about the limitations provided by the chain. This provided us with some challenges when it came to designing the games puzzles, as we wanted to always include the chain in some way.
An example of this can be seen in the image below. The goal is for the player to reach the stairs. If the player pushes the box onto the button, the door opens and the stairs are accessible. However, if the player tries to reach the stairs by going around the wall like in the image, the chain will be too short and the player will not be able to reach it. The solution is to instead drag the box around the wall and onto the button from the right side. This way the box no longer blocks the player and he/she can just walk straight to the stairs without having to go around the wall.
The project was a great experience for me personally and I learned a ton of useful stuff. The most valuable lessons include:
- Cooperating with a team when creating a game
- Inventing and experimenting with new game mechanics
- Figuring out level-design that fits the mechanics of the game
- Designing puzzles
I also got some valuable experience in managing deadlines and tasks for more people than only myself, as well as how to work with and program in the Godot Engine.
