Game Development Project
Samuel Tomé - Creative Director, Game Developer, Artist, Sound Designer
Jack Herzog - Covers Illustrator, Logo Designer
Highschool Jacob - Game's Music Producer & Client
"Stacey" was created as part of a Collection of 4 Games, a unique introduction to Highschool Jacob's music for new listeners, that also connects with fans through an experience that reflects the emotions and story of the song.
From the Music Covers to the Games
With only a few months before the desired release date, we planned to make a special and memorable experience for everyone who listened to the songs and played the games.
Our goal was set: create 4 standalone games, one for each single, that could be played online through web browsers on laptops and computers. With no downloads required or long load times, fans can start playing these games quickly and easily.
These games are also a gateway to the amazing songs Highschool Jacob released, as they would promote each song and redirect players to their desired music platforms (Spotify, Tidal, and Apple Music).
The conceptualization process for all games was a very collaborative phase. We brainstormed various ideas and mechanics each game could include, and how each could be played.
I listened to his inspirations, the classic retro games the client played while younger, and his ideas behind each Song and Single Cover.
Then, I helped shape the ideas into full-fledged game concepts that would be unique, fun, and playable from start to finish. At the time, all the covers and songs were finished, and thus we used each song's theme and cover illustrations as a guiding light for the aesthetics and mechanics of their respective game.
Above you can see the "HSJ 2020" special alternative Cover, illustrated by Jack Herzog, and my initial sketches and ideas for the game inspired by the "Stacey" single cover and this special Cover.
The Magical Snake was set to be the game's villain, a powerful mage meant to challenge the player by making them overcome many challenges and bring back the main character's self-confidence.
Once I finished my initial sketches and the brainstorming phase for how the game would work, I made a simplified Concept Art for the game.
This "Game Screen Concept Art" was created to be shown to the client, and allow us to further develop the game concept, and ensure its direction and style matched the client's vision before proceeding.
Above, you can view some early footage of the game prototype during its development phase.
During the early phases of game development projects, I prioritize the gameplay and the game foundation to achieve a playable prototype as soon as possible.
Starting with a playable prototype, allows me to explore, test, and refine the gameplay and the ideas for the game's core mechanics.
Once the prototype is complete, even though it uses simple shapes and placeholder assets, we can use it as a preview of how the game will play. This a crucial and helpful step to test the game's difficulty, accessibility, and fun factor!
Bringing everything to life through Art, Animation, and Ambience.
Now that the prototype was finalized and the game was playable, it was time to start the Art assets production phase. Having a playable prototype also allowed me to see the correct dimensions for each art asset, and quickly test animations in-game.
In "Stacey", players take control of "Blue Highschool Jacob" - this character can grab a variety of objects scattered across the fancy restaurant and the various floors of the building.
From chairs and plates to frying pans and wooden spoons from the Kitchen, the player can pick up many objects to defeat their "insecurities".
This game had an enormous amount of movement sets and different mechanics, which required me to create various animations for all the Player states. The player can stand still, jump, run, wall jump, and much more.
With the great amount of throwable and usable objects as weapons, the game needed to clearly show which one the player was currently holding, as it also affected the movement and gameplay of each attack.
To help me create a versatile set of animations that could be dynamically adapted while the game was running, I created a system of modular animations. By separating the Player's character into two parts, its upper body and its legs, I was able to combine various animations to match all the player's actions.
This technique helped me greatly reduce the amount of animations this game required, and saved me crucial time in the art production phase. It also allowed me to focus my efforts on creating various unique and impactful animations for each state!
The game also features various particles, effects, and unique sound effects, made by Samuel Tomé, for each attack and interaction, bringing everything together into a cohesive and fun experience.
The Finalized Game & Collection.
"Stacey" and each game from this Collection featured original music produced by the client, Highschool Jacob. The soundtrack was inspired by 8-bit melodies but with a creative twist on the genre and sound.
Each song perfectly fit into each game's aesthetic and theme and matched the energy of the respective original Music singles.
All 4 games featured the "Blue Highschool Jacob" character and a unique "Blue Pill" power-up mechanic, as requested by the client, the power-up effect received was different in each game to help the player achieve the game's goal.
The Blue Pill in "Stacey" provides two options for the player, the regeneration of the player's health points, or a speed boost to complete the game even faster!
Once the player completes the game, the Single's Cover appears, and a snippet from the song is played, prompting the Player to check out Highschool Jacob's respective music on Spotify, Tidal, or Apple Music.
At the game's final screen, the player can also see how long it took to complete the game, motivating the player to play again and try to surpass their fastest time - as the game also tracks their best time!
An online contest was held for players to compete for the shortest time, and share their best score online, through social media platforms.
Due to the singles' soon upcoming release date at the time, each game from this Collection was created from start to finish within 2 weeks.
Despite this challenging timeline, we created 4 amazing and forever-memorable games that brought many new fans to listen to the client's songs.
It was a pleasure to collaborate with this Team to bring the multiple games' visions to life.
Can you save Stacey and finish all the "HSJ 2020" games?
You can play the complete collection of games created for "HSJ 2020" here on Samuel's Arcade!
Thank you for reading!
- Samuel Tomé
