June - A Bad Word

"Platformer" has become somewhat of a bad word for indie game developers. The market has been completely oversaturated with platformers ever since the advent of Super Mario Bros. in 1985 (I know it wasn't the first platformer, but it's safe to say it popularized the genre). Announcing that your indie game is going to be another platformer can produce a swath of reactions ranging from complete disinterest to eye-rolls.

My point is, if you want to make a platformer stand out in this day and age, you have to do one of three things:

1. Have a unique aesthetic

   Cuphead isn't strictly a platformer. It's a boss-rush game. However, there are a few platforming levels mixed in. Needless to say, the art style of this game is amazing. I think much of its success can be attributed to that.

   
2. Do platforming better than anyone else

   On the surface, Dustforce is just another indie platformer. As far as player movement goes, it doesn't bring much new to the table. You can jump, double jump, wall jump, and dash. However, this game has some of the tightest, most polished platforming controls I've ever experienced in a game. It just feels good to play. These precise controls open up the possibility for intensely demanding level design. This is one of the most difficult platformers out there, but the only thing keeping you from mastering it is your mastery of the controls (which are fully customizable). All of that makes this a very attractive game, and I consider it a stand-out game, even though it brings nothing new to the table as far as the mobility of your player character goes.

   
3. Make a unique movement mechanic

   Celeste not only implements precise, polished platforming controls, but it also brings something new to the table. While in the air, you can dash in any of the eight cardinal directions. This mechanic adds so much to the game, making Madeline, the protagonist, one of the most freely mobile characters in platforming history. The dash mechanic (along with the fact that I'm a total sucker for pixel art) was what encouraged me to buy this game. I had never seen something like it in other platformers.

   

My Unique Movement Mechanic

For my platformer, I decided to go with the third route. I came up with a unique movement mechanic, which I currently don't have a name for. I've considered calling it hovering, airwalking, or stalling. It's pretty simple: while in the air, you can hold a button that will completely eliminate all of your vertical momentum. You can still move horizontally while hovering. Of course, you can't hover forever: hovering consumes magic, and the only way to restore it is to land on the ground. Here's what it looks like in action:

The little purple circle indicates how much magic you have remaining.

Plans

So that's all I have for now. I've implemented the mechanic and the platforming feels good enough to get started. I want to be productive with this project for the rest of the month, and I have a plan. This next week, I'll focus on level design and puzzle elements. I want to have a handful of playable levels for the demo at the end of the month. Once I have the levels ready, I'll start adding artwork, music, and sound effects.

That's all for now! Stay tuned for more next week!