DON'T SKIP THIS IF YOU ARE A JUDGE

Team

• T.E.R. Yarally (Game Design, Art & Animation, Programming)

• Sequence (Music)

Introduction

Pitch

Sprout of Control is a single player, one-screen puzzle game featuring a vine-like player character. You extend your body to reach other platforms. Body parts stay behind to help (or hinder) you craft yourself a path to the goal.

Inspiration

Snake

In (any version of) snake, the player character moves along the screen while its body becomes longer and more bothersome. I decided to take some of this mechanic, but instead change it into a (sometimes) beneficial trait. The player's body itself becomes terrain that can be used to change direction and reach places that were previously unreachable.

Baba is you

In this game, you move objects to change the rules of a game. This power can possibly force the player into a deadlock, requiring you to restart a level. I'd like to incorporate this quick retry mechanic and level design philosophy.

(Pokémon) ice puzzles

As a 3rd gen player, the eight gym of Emerald comes to mind. Upon hitting a wall or border, the player can move in any direction as long as it is unoccupied. I want to use restricted movement similar to this.

Genre

Single player, puzzle

Target Audience

Technical Specifications

Gameplay

Summary

Sprout of Control is a puzzle-game where you have to navigate a level to reach the goal flag. You can move in any direction as long as it is unoccupied, but while moving, you can't change direction until you hit another solid object.

The main gimmick is that your body is always extending, meaning that you leave behind body segments in any position that you visit. These body segments act as walls that you can use to stop and redirect your movement. Using this idea, let's take a look at an example level:

At first glance it seems impossible to reach the goal given our movement restrictions. However, using our own body in a creative way, we can solve the level like this:

Theme interpretation

It's spreading gives me a sense of urgency. Games that come to mind are: Plague Inc., where you are fighting against a spreading disease; Terraria, where the corrupted biomes slowly take over your world; or even Tetris, with its continuous supply of unhelpful pieces that fill up your play area. In all these games you are somehow working against time in an increasingly smaller space.

In my game, you play as an invasive plant that eats away at screen space with every action you take, making the level more cramped and difficult to navigate. At the same time, you might create new footholds to reach places that were previously unreachable. The player's body will literally spread into every corner of the level, allowing you to conquer it.

As a secondary mechanic I introduce the Firefly. This little creature really brings the whole concept to life. When it hits the body of the player, it explodes and ignites that segment. Fire spreads to neighbouring body parts, putting the player on a timer, but also reopening previously closed doors.

Art

I use Aseprite for all the in-game assets. The colour palette consists primarily of greens and browns to complement the plant-like theme. Because of the limited time, and because I have to do all the art myself, I decided on 16x16 for the canvas size. This provides just enough detail without overwhelming my schedule.

Audio

Music

Sound design is delegated to Sequence. I want the music to convey the idea of a creeping vine and to spark that sense of urgency in the player. We have two tracks that complement each other nicely, one for the main menu and another when the player in inside a level.

Sound effects

The sounds for things like fire, moving, dying etc come from Splice. All these sounds are royalty free and okay to use commercially.

README (For the judges)

This version of the game consists of 17 levels including a Tutorial. Playing through all the levels should take anywhere from 10 - 20 minutes. I hope that you have the time for a full playthrough, but if you prefer a shorter review, I recommend playing the following levels so that you can see every mechanic:

NOTE: You can use [Escape] at any time to return to the main menu.

• 1. (Tutorial)

• 3.

• 6. (Portal intro)

• 8. (If your are nerd enough)

• 9.

• 10. (Moving walls intro)

  • Look at what happens if you trap the first moving wall above your body

• 12.

• 13. (If you are gamer enough)

• 14. (Firefly intro)

• 16.

• 17. (Great illustration of the level design potential IMO)

Thanks for playing! I hope you enjoy the game :D

MoSCoW