GRAVITRON
ROLE: GAME DESIGNER
UNIQUE GAMEPLAY
While many brawler games on the 2D market were often focused on Smash Bros style melee, or Contra style shoot em ups, Gravitron was created to offer a combination of genres for a unique experience.
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I wanted to capture the amazing moment of executing a well-timed combo to defeat your opponent. I did not want a simple reactionary use A to defeat B game. I wanted a game where the player could create their own solutions in a systems-first approach.
THE CORE EXPERIENCE
Gravitron's core idea was designed from the ground up as a game that can be easily expanded with new content, where levels and characters could be easily added without much need to re-tweak the entire game. Thus the game was designed modular, and offered far more replay-ability.
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Game modes, levels and characters can be randomized and the game will still function!
STARTING SMALL
When designing each character, the over-arching rule I had in mind was that all characters had to be easy to pick up and play by anyone, but when used in combination would offer far more skilled game-play. All characters should also only have one active action at maximum for simplicity.
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As an example, if an opponent is locking down a corridor in turret form, a player can utilize the Rotosphere to roll under incoming fire and send a shockwave to stun the opponent when close, then proceed to follow up into a sliding ice block to finish the opponent off!
WORK IN PROGRESS: RESEARCH AND INSPIRATIONS
KILLER QUEEN BLACK
An interesting brawler game that was released in 2019 was the indie title Killer Queen Black. It was a 4 v 4 game where players controlled winged characters in a shoot em' up with multiple simultaneous objectives. The key focus of this title was that there are multiple ways to achieve victory. It worked fluidly, and became inspiration for Gravitron's multi-objective systems.
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For Gravitron, I took the concept of multi-objectives, but simplified further to support the game as Gravitron is game that is much more focused on the characters themselves.
VANQUISH
Vanquish was a third person action shooter released for the PS3 generation. The key feature of Vanquish was how the weapon system works. You could switch between different gun modes at will, and combination of gun forms could be used to achieve various effects.
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Gravitron's primary core system is built similar, where each form has a specific system that can be used in conjunction with other forms to produce unscripted results.
EARLY CONCEPT
Gravitron's backstory was that of a world divided between two economic classes. Early implementations of art and design themes followed a general principle - Both classes have to be shown on the map. In an early map blockout, a high classed gold tower could be seen in the distance between dead buildings, providing the thematic contrast of the story.
FINAL THEMES
Although Gravitron dropped the backstory halfway through development in order to favor a more arcade-style quick brawler, consideration was still given to ensure each map felt lived-in, and belonged to the same larger world.
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Each map was designed specifically to support a different style of play. Some maps focus on jump pads and death pits, while some focus on tight, close quarter battles.
