The Explorer 3D
This is a game I created for a project for game design class. The entire class has a theme of "into the unknown" for the game jam.
In order to fit the theme “into the unknown”, I decided to revive an old demo of mine. I was testing out 2D shadows and came up with a simple maze-like demo, which I entitled “The explorer”. I am an enjoyer of puzzle games, especially ones like portal, and I thought that genre would be fitting. I used the theme to guide decisions about the game’s atmosphere and playstyle. Incorporating the theme of the unknown into a game like this was trivial. I decided to go with a 2.5D dungeon-like atmosphere, with limited player visibility. The fog and shadows around the player means they can only see what’s directly next to them. Every twist and turn becomes an adventure into the unknown. The eerie music in the background adds to the atmosphere. In addition, certain parts of the map are blocked off by doors which the player must open. There is a level of uncertainty on what is behind the door, and in level 2, choosing the wrong door leads to a dead end. As the player progresses through the maze, they are assisted by a minimap that allows them to re-trace their steps. I believe that having a resource like that available is not a hinderance to the unknown, but really shows the idea that a particular part of the level isn’t discovered yet, and forcing the player to walk into the blank map.
The game has little story, but what does exist also leans into the idea that it really is unknown. The player becomes trapped in the beginning, and must find a way to escape the maze. The map sizes get larger and larger with each passing one. The game is fairly simple to play. Standard WASD controls, E to interact with objects (oranges), and P to pause. Prompts can be skipped using the skip button on the bottom of the screen. There are many aspect I wish I could’ve finished, most notably player design, but didn’t have time. I hope to continue this project in the future as well.
Open source GITHUB: https://github.com/DylanMines/The-Explorer-3D
ATTRIBUTIONS (comprehensive list of every public asset I used):
https://www.magnific.com/free-photo/brick-wall-background-texture_34862131.htm#f...
https://www.cgtrader.com/free-3d-models/furniture/lamp/wall-sconce-b73dfad6-5938...
https://defold.com/assets/lightandshadows/
https://defold.com/assets/orthographic/
https://defold.com/assets/tiled/
https://defold.com/assets/druid/
https://github.com/Dragosha/defold-things/tree/master/3d-tilemap
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