The Game Overview 

My game is called Time to Shift and is a game where you must switch between two (or more) worlds to complete each level. In each world, the playable character will have a different ability in order to complete that level, such as one can jump higher.

Each world will be mostly the same, but sometimes, there may be small differences that the player must swap between to complete the level. Each world will have a colored tint to make it known to the user which world they are in, as well as a different-looking character with appearances that hint at that character’s special abilities, such as one being taller but can jump further.

Story 

Even though my game won’t be fully story-driven, there will still be some story aspects to my game. The main character will at first not know how to control the ability and won’t even be able to shift between worlds. Eventually, they will be forced to switch worlds and use the other character’s ability to complete the levels. However, in the other world, there will be enemies that will attempt to kill the player but only in that world.

Genre 

2D Puzzle-platformer 

Basic Features

• Basic movement left and right (A & D)
• Jumping
• Ladder Climbing
• Checkpoints through the level
• potential to fall
• Health (3 lives maximum before restarting level)

Advanced Features

• Swap between worlds with different characters who have different abilities (jump higher etc)
• Puzzle-solving
• No fighting/shooting, enemies will potentially appear in one of the worlds but one will always remain enemy free.

Visual Style 

• Parallax scrolling background 
• Pixel Art (different worlds will be tinted in different colors to make it visibly known to the user which world they are in)

Audio 

Have a backing soundtrack that cycles through (perhaps similar to that of Celeste), created by the external student(s)
Have sounds acquired on https://sfxr.me/

Target Audience/Platform

My Game will be targeted at those who love 2d-puzzle platformers which might include the older generation as games like Super Mario Bros which is what sparked the 2d-puzzle platforming genre. Even though my game will not include, blood, foul language, or any other harsh content, I think my game will be aimed at everyone aimed twelve and above as some of the puzzles may be too difficult for those aged below.
My targeted platform will be PC as the licensing and other requirements, prevent me from targeting my game at any other platform. However, my game could be played on Xbox and PlayStation as the controls are easily transferable (left and right to the joystick, jump as A, shifting worlds as Y etc.

One problem I want to acknowledge is that my game will not be able to be played by those who are colour blind and unable to see certain colours. Therefore I will attempt to implement a way that users can change the colours so that they tell the different worlds apart. If this fails, I will try to add a colour-blind mode where there are other visual aids to let the player know what world they are in such as numbers somewhere in the HUD.

World (Level Design) 

My game will be level based where the player must complete each level to move on to the next, rather than the alternative of having a Metroidvania-style game where it is one continuous map. My game will largely be set in a forest setting, with occasional hints at life, such as small cabins, bridges, signs, and other small structures. The player will move through the level, completing puzzles along the way, toward the edge of the playable world where they will then move on to the next level

Controls

• A and D to move left and right
• W and S to climb and descend
• Spacebar to jump
• Shift to swap worlds

Similar games?

Fez / Inside / Another Perspective / Portal / What Lies in the Multiverse

References

AdamCYounis (2021) Pixel Art Class – Art Styles for Indie Games [Video] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LfTiws-0Vss&t=3s&ab_channel=AdamCYounis

Overwriteinteractive (2021) Forest Pixel Art Mockup [Image] https://www.moddb.com/games/gerel-against-te/images/forest-pixel-art-mockup