Ideation
This was a prototype for a learning exercise following the theme "Arcade". We had to work off of a classmate's game from another week and I chose my friend who had done a claw machine game.
The twist I put on it was that I made it 2D and more story-oriented. The player acts as the parent of a little boy who wants a certain toy from the claw machine. He won't tell you what it is, but you'll know when you get it.
This game is different from my other games because of this fun and creepy aesthetic. I also really delved into some intense 2D asset creation for this game as well, which I have little experience with. Below are some snippits of code detailing the function of the hand claw, documentation of my ideation process, and the sprites used.
Emotions
the claw is a comedic, light-hearted game. The premise itself is an experience that centers around the weird toys you can collect and the reactions from the little boy. I did want a bit of a weird or creepy vibe, so I made the boy and toys a little unnerving.
Illustrations
Timeline
The timeline for this game was one week
For each of my one week prototypes, the timeline typically includes ideation, greyboxing, environmental design, and delivery. However, since the timeline is so short, the number of days I work and the day each phase is assigned to varies.
9/7: Ideation, General plan
9/8: Drawing Art assets, Greyboxing
9/10: Drawing Art assets, Greyboxing
9/11: Writing dialogue, Integrating Yarn Spinner
9/12: Adding audio, Polishing
9/13: Game Due
Responsibilities
Team size: 1 (solo project)
All sprites are drawn by me in procreate
- Utilizing Yarn Spinner
- Drawing 2D sprites
- Programming for the claw mechanic
- Writing dialogue
Playtest Notes
The biggest critique was the claw mechanic. The toy childed eachother instead of just the claw childing one toy, so the player could collect all of the toys and bring them to the outlet at one time.
Challenges
The biggest challenge was definitely figuring out how to create the working claw because I ran into the problem above. I tried many different ways to make this mechanic work, but the childing method was the best I could do by the end.