First Flight

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First Flight

First flight is a mobile/web game designed and implemented in 72 hours as a part of Ludum Dare 49 - Unstable. Made with a team of three:

@defectivemelon | programming, audio

@jhonys | programming

@kvebox (me!) | art, game design, motion design

Playable here: https://defectivemelon.itch.io/first-flight!

Given the limited time, after a few quick iterations, we decided on a relatively simple mechanic. The user would be able to move 4-directionally with given blocks being moveable alongside the character. Puzzle level designs actually proved somewhat difficult from developer end so a redo/reset/undo button would be able to walk through steps for added forgivability.

Ironically, the overall imagery stayed the same with the original sketch to demonstrate the idea- I drew up a little spherical bird to replace the circle above and aligned the crown imagery to keep iconography consistent.

The level map, I tried to sneak in some narrative imagery- the level markers are meant to form an egg, both in the shape of the surrounding shell and the moon itself as an embryo :).

I also managed to sneak in some explorations for the nuance in motion, albeit unfortunately not everything made it in.

As the gravity direction was moving but the camera static, there needed to be clear visual feedback and language to indicate what the current direction is. Although the arrow (middle) was cleanest, the symbol was confusingly the opposite. A compromise was using the ribbon alongside with the visual swipe to make a snappy call to action!