Gear is a 2D puzzle-platformer in which the player controls a robot
with the ability to change his hand into a gear. The player will have
to swing around sockets, ride on rails, swim, and even rotate the
world in order to get through ten unique levels and beat the boss.
We wanted to make a cool platformer that involved rotation. Our main
game inspirations were the original Bionic Commando, Mischief Makers,
and Drill Dozer.
Apart from the obvious answer of different gameplay mechanics, we also
aimed for tutorials that were as non-invasive as possible. That’s why
whenever we introduced a new mechanic to the player, we would give the
player a moment to try to figure out the mechanic themselves. This
way, we could avoid irritating the player with aggravating tutorials
if they knew what to do, while still explaining the mechanics to
players that were new to the game. Also, we tried to create a simple
yet robust level editor that would make creating levels fast and fun
while still being easy enough for the player to quickly understand.
14 Months.
Playtesting. It was easy to come up with concepts and enjoy them
ourselves, but it was a lot harder to ease the player into new
mechanics and make them feel comfortable moving around.
The robot and the boss were voiced by the same guy.
The game name was a placeholder, since we had to have a name.
Eventually, it just stuck.
I’ve moved around a lot, so I don’t really have a hometown.
DigiPen Institute of Technology
I’ve been gaming since I was five, and I owned my first console when I
was 7. I’ve always been a console gamer, and I prefer action/adventure
games and RPGs.
Half the team met each other in our game project class the day we had
to form a team. We were the only ones without any teammates, so we
teamed up together. After nine months of development, we decided to
refine the game to be able to enter it in competitions, so we added
two designers to the team.
None, because I’m too busy working.
I can’t pick one. My current favorites are Donkey Kong Country 2,
Final Fantasy 9, Rayman, Nightmare Ned, Bomberman 64, Super Smash
Bros. Melee, Cubivore, In the Groove, Chibi-Robo, and the Metroid
Prime Trilogy.
Either Prince of Persia (XBOX360), Bomberman Jetters (GCN), or Final
Fantasy XII (PS2). I tend to hold sequels of games I’ve enjoyed up to
higher standards, so I get much more disappointed if I don’t enjoy them.
A SNES, with The Jungle Book and Super Mario All-Stars
Wii.
I don’t have a lot of free time because of school, but when I do have
a moment, I love reading.