AFTERWORDS 

I started this project with other mentees from the King and Blizzard Mentorship program. We wanted to create a game together, and the Game Off 2024 game jam was the perfect opportunity.

Game Designer | 3D Artist

We held 2-3 meetings per week via Discord to brainstorm and design the core mechanics. During these sessions, we wrote down all our ideas and ultimately settled on the concept of collecting words and combining them to form new ones.

In addition to contributing to the design process, I was responsible for creating the six 3D character models and some of the key props used in the game.

Here are some key features of the game:

Afterwords cartoon style

Afterwords collect words mechanic in dialogue

Collecting words

Combine and split words

Game Design Decisions

— Collection phase should appear after the dialogue is completed, so it doesn't conflict with the players attention.
— Some clues should guide the player throught the different objects and dialogues. Poiting to the relevant words that are part of the password.
— When explaining the mechanic, the mechanic should appear to reinforce the knowledge

3D Art

I created six characters for the game, though one didn’t make it into the final version.

Each character has their own story and unique personality: Your sister is reserved and quiet. Your grandpa loves to talk but keeps forgetting things. Your grandma adores you and expresses it by constantly feeding you. The little kid feels out of place, as if they don’t quite belong to this realm.

I aimed to reflect all that complexity and depth through their low-poly designs, keeping the visual simplicity while still conveying their essence.

POST MORTEM

— The level needs a redesign, especially the hall where the player first enters the house. A corridor could work well to guide the player naturally toward their first conversation with Nubi (the character who introduces them to the world).

— On another note, shaping the house in a more object-oriented way would help players better understand where the important words are located.

— The indicator or effect for placing the correct word in the password field should also be made more noticeable to avoid confusion.

— Regarding the mechanics and password concept, introducing it with fewer words and simpler dialogues might help players grasp it faster. A short introductory story with a single-word password could gradually ease players into the mechanic.

— We’ve used lighting to highlight important places, which has worked well so far. Relying more on this resource could further solve some of the orientation issues players might face.