Ideation
What makes this game unique from other dating sims is the fact that the characters are all supposed to be insufferable caricatures of young New York implants you might find out and about. Most of the characters are, in one way or another, unapproachable, irritable, and self-centered. However, they look cool and provide a challenge! This game has different ending screens based on who the player successfully romances. The replayability of the game was an important aspect.
I experimented with this game by using a pixel art style for the characters and at the time, I wasn't very experienced with 2D asset creation.
Illustrations
Timeline
This was a personal project that I worked on over two months. Because of this, I did not provide any strict deadlines for myself since it was more about the exploration of my digital art style.
Responsibilities
Team size: 1 (solo project)
- Creating character assets
- Writing dialogue
- Creating dialogue system
Emotions
This game is definitely more a comedic experience as many of the dialogue options are rather silly or may not provide a reaction that the player expects based on the option they choose. Additionally, many of the references the characters make are not supposed to be understood by the player as many of them are niche artists or designers. This is supposed to recreate a very common feeling you can experience in New York of not feeling cool or trendy enough since many of the characters act like it's common knowledge.
Playtest Notes
I had about five or six friends play this game and the general feedback was very positive. The testers enjoyed the art, the characters. Many said they wish that some of the storylines were longer or more developed, but were still satisfied with the playthough. Many also agreed that they enjoyed the replayability of the game, and found one or two of the characters provided a bit of a challenge to romance since they are prickly in nature.
Challenges
The greatest challenge for me here was simply creating the character art itself. I love to draw and have pretty developed skills, but I have not done much digital art, so I used this game as an opportunity to expand my abilities in digital art.