Controls
The control scheme is simple, Run, Jump, Shoot various projectiles, Dash, Ground Bash and Push/Pull. New abilities and upgrades aside, that's the core of the players interaction with Lulu.
I wanted to stick with a familiar player interaction like Metroid and Mega Man.
The player should pick up the controller and within a few moments, know exactly what to do.
Animation & Illustration
From Lulu's idle to the angry movement of a Pox, each of them have an energy that draws you in. Traditional animation allows for the inconsistent, imperfect line that breaths so much life into a character.
Lulu
Abilities:
As Lulu, you'll defeat enemies and navigate obstacles using a variety of skills like Blast, Bombs, Dash and Ground Bash. As well as basic skills like Run, Crawl, Ledge Climb, Wall Grab, Jump, and Push/Pull.
There will be new abilities and upgrades as the game progresses.
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Respawn:
There are three lives per level. Once all lives are used, the level will restart. The respawn is immediate, the level will reset and doesn't force the player to start several levels back.
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Animation:
Each of Lulu's animations are adorable and fun to play as well as watch.
The same can be said of the enemies. They may be a nefarious bunch of baddies but also cute in their own way.
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INteraction with the world
It's important for the player to stay immersed in the world without obtrusive tutorial displays that tell you which button to push or animated, bouncy things that say, "Go here my little pretty!"
I achieve this immersion by placing clues, usually obvious ones that tell the player, "There's a hole over there that you may want to explore." or "This is an old communications device, press the green button to see what happens."
An illustration of this is shown in the Level Design section below.
Cutscenes
Cutscenes will be limited to no longer than 30 seconds.
This will force me to keep the story points simple and avoid boring the player.
Level Design
Color and Choice:
Utilizing the contrast between grey tones and vibrant colors, I can help bring a unique experience to the player. For one, you'll always know where you and the enemies are in the scene because they all pop. Plus, I can use color to highlight an object in the scene to suggest the player should check it out. As with the images below. The left shows a dig spot that will give her something after she digs. The middle is a button that needs to be pushed in order to leave the room and finally, the Caution sign points to a hole that leads to the next level. At the start I'll place the button to push somewhere near the input. But only in the beginning.
Inspiration for the Design:
The levels are created from a mix of post WW2 reference and 80's tech. It's like a group of people from the eighties found a run down town from the forties and set up shop. But people don't exist anymore so now it's ruled over by Ravan and his minions. Not the one eyed Twinkies. The kind that will actually destroy at the behest of their master.