Happy Wednesday, everyone!
Today marks the first time I’m sharing a bit about the game’s mechanics, so I thought I’d start from the very beginning, with the main game idea and the first enemy type I implemented: Goblins!
The Theme and the Idea
When I first came up with "Will The King Escape?", I was partecipating in the Godot Wild Jam #66.
I had a few days to create a short game and there was a main theme to follow, along with optional “wildcards” suggesting mechanics to include.
The main theme was "escape", which later inspired the game's title and the gameplay loop, and one of the wildcard mechanics was "sunlight".
That optional card immediately got me thinking about a system that would encourage more interaction between the player and the environment.
The only problem? I didn’t have a game yet to build that mechanic into!
The Game and the Goblins Origin
I decided to create a turn-based system where both the player and the enemies take 1 turn to move. The peculiarity was that enemies follow predefined paths, acting as obstacles to the player escape.
This made level complexity emerge naturally from the number and placement of enemies, and since their path was predetermined, it was like a pathfinding puzzle!
To add an extra level of difficulty, I've also added a turn limit in which the King is forced to reach the stairs.
This way the player must carefully think about every action, in order to make the best of each turn.
The First Invaders
The first enemies I designed and implemented were Goblins.
As an avid fantasy fan, it just felt instinctive!
They also happened to match well with the Tower tileset I had created, which is designed on a small 32x32 pixel grid.
Since goblins are typically small creatures, they fit perfectly within that scale.
The Sunlight
The sunlight mechanic came shortly after: opening windows to stun or block enemies, creating opportunities for the player to forge new, previously hidden, paths.
To make this interaction clearer, I visually linked the windows with bright yellow (an infamous color that unironically fits the game very well) cords to help the connection stand out.
However, after testing some levels, I realized that sunlight could be a double-edged sword: sometimes players could accidentally trap themselves!
So in later levels, for example, I added scenarios where you need to close windows instead, in order to reopen a viable escape path. It added a simple and nice layer of puzzle-solving.
Also, to introduce the player to the mechanic in a way that felt more organic, I've decided to create a few levels with very simple windows, which are always open (in other words: these don't have a curtain).
There are more sunlight-related mechanics in the game (as you may have seen in the trailer or read about on the Steam page), but since they involve other enemies in the Tower, I’ll cover those in future devblogs.
So if you enjoy behind the scenes insights, be sure not to miss any updates!
(Shameless self-promotion: complete.)
What about the Story of these Goblins?
If you're curious about the Goblins themselves, their background and quirky habits (which influenced their design), make sure to check out Saturday’s post!
I’ll be sharing their territory map and I'll dive into their culture, including why they really can’t stand the sun!
Have a great day,
Until next time!
-Giuseppe