Years ago I undertook a project that was intended to replicate a jam-like game. Two weeks, as I could fit it into my schedule, I was going to start and finish a puzzle platformer game. I would be working on the game solo and using it as a way to learn as a professional and transfer specific knowledge to my students as an academic. Over this short period I grew attached to the concept of the world and characters. This blue haired swordsman had a story to tell, and while I never finished that puzzle platformer, I would pick up the project to tinker and animate to hone my general skillset. It wasn't until my Thesis for my Masters in Experiential Design that I decided to take the setting from all of that work and turn it into something more.
Now a Metroidvania game, in which players traverse a platform-rich environment in order to gain new skills to open new areas to explore, Axis Descending has become a large part of my role as an Assistant Professor of Game Art. After obtaining a Seed Grant and exhibiting at a number of peer-reviewed venues throughout the last two years, it is fulfilling a few key areas I am responsible for developing in my tenure package.
From a design perspective, the project is telling a very personal story about love and loss as it applies to friendship and family. It speaks to a number of events that have really defined who I am throughout my life and seeks to teach players some of the life lessons I try to remember every single day because of it all. It aims to provide sufficient impact within gameplay and narrative to establish a long-lasting connection with some of these lessons.
Audience
Fans of the Metroidvania genre will enjoy this game. For players who enjoy sidescrolling platformers, fast-paced combat and/or having hundreds of cosmetic options to choose from to customize your character, this game is also for you.
Players who have a difficult time with sidescrolling platformers, look for slower paced games and/or dislike a learning curve may want to shy away from this title.
Strategy & Tone
Subtle clues and atmospheric nuance.
Meaningful moments and thought-provoking narratives.
Fun from a simple jump to a well-timed defensive maneuver.
Unique characters providing true-to-life reactions given the context of the world.
Requirements & Constraints
No Hand Holding
Players will only be told what to do if it is absolutely necessary. No needless tutorial dialogue or button prompts.
Show, Don't Tell
Players will be told anything only when it is absolutely necessary. No filler dialogue, unskippable cutscenes or oddly placed humor.
80s Glam Rock Meets Vector Illustration
Blues, purples, big wild hair and eccentric characters. Flat colors with subtle gradients.
Player Ownership
The player can customize what they look like and this must be acknowledged in the game world. NPCs can respond to your choices or unlock new narratives based on this.
Now a Metroidvania game, in which players traverse a platform-rich environment in order to gain new skills to open new areas to explore, Axis Descending has become a large part of my role as an Assistant Professor of Game Art. After obtaining a Seed Grant and exhibiting at a number of peer-reviewed venues throughout the last two years, it is fulfilling a few key areas I am responsible for developing in my tenure package.
From a design perspective, the project is telling a very personal story about love and loss as it applies to friendship and family. It speaks to a number of events that have really defined who I am throughout my life and seeks to teach players some of the life lessons I try to remember every single day because of it all. It aims to provide sufficient impact within gameplay and narrative to establish a long-lasting connection with some of these lessons.
Audience
Fans of the Metroidvania genre will enjoy this game. For players who enjoy sidescrolling platformers, fast-paced combat and/or having hundreds of cosmetic options to choose from to customize your character, this game is also for you.
Players who have a difficult time with sidescrolling platformers, look for slower paced games and/or dislike a learning curve may want to shy away from this title.
Strategy & Tone
Subtle clues and atmospheric nuance.
Meaningful moments and thought-provoking narratives.
Fun from a simple jump to a well-timed defensive maneuver.
Unique characters providing true-to-life reactions given the context of the world.
Requirements & Constraints
No Hand Holding
Players will only be told what to do if it is absolutely necessary. No needless tutorial dialogue or button prompts.
Show, Don't Tell
Players will be told anything only when it is absolutely necessary. No filler dialogue, unskippable cutscenes or oddly placed humor.
80s Glam Rock Meets Vector Illustration
Blues, purples, big wild hair and eccentric characters. Flat colors with subtle gradients.
Player Ownership
The player can customize what they look like and this must be acknowledged in the game world. NPCs can respond to your choices or unlock new narratives based on this.
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