Return 2 Monke 🐒
or: How I learned to stop worrying and love the process
Development Info
Dev Name: ReturnToMonkey
Released: 2021
Genre: 2D Side-Scrolling Platformer
Engine: Unity 2018
Development Time: 24 Hours
Role: Programmer, Artist, Designer
Key Responsibilities
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Asset acquisition - Finding appropriate graphics, sounds and tools for the jam.
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Level Design - Creating a level design based on best practices .
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Gameplay tweaks - Making sure the jumping and shooting felt just right.
Development Goals
First ever game-jam: A game made over 24 hours for the 2021 Global Game Jam with a team of five. The main goal of the Jam was to have fun, and we certainly did.
Designing on a time limit: Designing this game on a time limit was pretty stressful, being my first ever game-jam. Not to mention, we lost all of our progress partway through the jam! I'm really proud of the whole team pulling together to produce this game on-time. A lot of lessons about source control were learned thanks to these precious monkeys.
Getting along: This jam was created with a team that I was unfamiliar with. We pushed through that awkward first phase and managed to have a really good time producing the game.
Development Notes
Level Design 101: Due to how little time we had on this game jam, between learning proper source control and a new team, I had to go back to basics when designing the level layout, especially considering the hodge-podge nature of the asset packs we were using to build it. The level design generally tells a narrative of returning to nature, with the levels becoming more wild as the player progresses. I also tried to make the levels less of a straight line and more branching.