- What is it?! -
'Go Go Ghostbeard' is a puzzle platformer mixed with a city builder, where you help defend an island from invading forces and lurking evils.
- And who might you be? -
I'm Scott Tykoski, an artist/developer/designer (Mad Scientist) on the PC scene over at Stardock Entertainment. With my off time I make game prototypes of the pixelated persuasion. Huge fan of classic animation, storytelling and game design theory.
- A pitch is only as good your inspiration. Drop some names, son! -
Alright..classic game references incoming!
There's a City Building gameplay layer that wraps around everything. It's fairly simple - think ACTRAISER - but with LEGEND OF ZELDA-esque controls. You explore increasingly ferocious parts of your island while fighting off pirates, evil creatures, and demands of your populace.
These areas are punctuated by side-scrolling segments, again, much like ACTRAISER.
GHOSTBEARD also introduces puzzle levels that bridge the (substantial) gameplay gap of City Builder to Action Platformer. These segments are a mix of LEMMINGS and THE INCREDIBLE MACHINE, focusing on a buildup of tools and interesting interaction between them (so there's another ZELDA inspiration).
- I don't know...sounds like you're just throwing a bunch of features in a pot. -
Future dev diaries will explore the design in detail, but for now you'll have to trust me. ;)
It's all coming together very nicely, but feel free to ask questions in the comments section!
- When? -
While 90% of the puzzle sections designed, I still have some major work to do on the City Building portion of the game. I'm shooting to release an vertical slice in May, but the final product will be done...you know...when it's done :)
The creative process is one to savor, not rush.
Want more info on the game? Join me over on twitter for daily development updates and images (among other game-industry related links), or on our fledgling Facebook page.
Thanks!
What music are you going to use in it? :)