Game Design Document
By: Sagar Kashyap
Tags: Character Design, Game Design, Game Development

Game Design Document

Overview

Project scope

Timeline: September-December 2020

Designers

Sagar Kashyap ; Tanveera Lotey

Genre

Blobish is a 2D adventure platformer x quiz mobile game where environments shape your progress.

Target Audience

Students from 13–17 years of age in rural and semi urban areas.

Monetization

NA

Concept

Blobish is a 2D side scroller quiz and action platformer with Metroidvania roots. The inspiration includes designing maps that encourage exploration but which still guide the player on a main path through the game and providing means where the player can be aware of where they are in the game world at any time. This can be accomplished by graphical themes through the game’s world, visually unique milestones at key game point and overall map.

Genre

Single player campaign with emphasis on explorations and timing. The framework is built on a serious game model.

Unique Selling Point

Blobish features a large interconnected map, generally with discrete areas / sections. Not all areas are unlocked in the beginning. Some key features which the players can experience are as follows.

• Letting environment effect gameplay

• Quiz related to enemies and implications in real life.

• An action platforming experience on a strong serious game foundations.

Player Experience

The player controls a tiny blob which makes him/her/them realize the level vastness and its secrets. They have to time their movements precisely. Exploration and progression will reward in power-ups. Players will backtrack to previous levels stronger. It will make the player grow over the course of the game. The players are rewarded with a sense of discovery and self-control during the game whilst understanding and learning about the role of hygiene.

Visual Identity

A cohesive world with memorable settings. Players remembering the levels is part of the core design. Strong and distinct assets need to be designed.

Story

This originated in the bathroom microcosm, the classroom of hygiene. Wota the blob is living his life to his fullest. He is a popular guy in class. One summer, sanitizer comes as an exchange student. He has a personality that binds people to him. Slowly Wota starts losing his friends to the popularity of the new kid ‘sanitizer’.

He finds his best friend secretly meeting with sanitizer during recess. That is his all time low. He is gravely saddened. Pondering deeply, he sits in silence near the great tree. Wind breezes by.

Air is passing by when he sees Wota sad and decides to do one last thing before he passes away in the wind , he decides to help Wota.

He explains Wota that sanitizer is famous among his peers because he is strong. Sanitizer has better abilities than most. Air tells Wota that if wants to get strong he has to develop a drive to win.

Wota decides to challenge sanitizer to figure out who is the strongest. They along with all his peers decide that the one who defeats the germs will be declared the strongest.

Both begin their quest. Since sanitizer is faster, stronger and sharper he gets well ahead in the journey to defeat the evil germs. Wota is progressing slowly. Air keeps giving “tips’ to Wota ranging from tutorials to hints.

Germ Boss arrives. Sanitizer is already fighting the boss. He loses. Wota fights the boss. He fights for a long and then loses. Now he realizes both of them have to fight if they need to win. Sanitizer and water fuse to form something greater. They fight the boss one and win.

Game World and Culture

Scope: The gameplay will be linear with no deviation. All the choices will be pre-ordained by the designers. The seasons will be gradually changing along with levels throughout the progression.

Backstory: The story of the world will be based on narration.

Culture and System of Order: The blobs are nomadic in nature. The academy of protectors fight germs and save us humans from the ill-schemes of pathogens.

Platform, Technology and Scope

Blobish will be initially deployed on android devices.

It can later be cross platformed with PC settings. Blobish is a 2D side scroller quiz and action platformer. First prototype will be done in Figma. Second round of prototype testing will be done on Unreal using blueprints.

The game will require rapid prototyping, Agile development can be conducted in the next four months with iterative testing.

Major Risks: Unless prototyping is carried out with target audience, design chinks cannot be detected which will affect the development.

Gameplay

Sample Gameplay

You are in a 2D world. Air telling you that you have the ability to move with abilities of moving left , right, up and down. You slide on top of tiles and find your first enemy. An airborne germ. Guarding a shiny orb. The orb opens the door to next area. Right now as a blob you have no powers to fight the germ. Only option is to avoid that. You dodge the enemy and retrace back…

Game Mechanic

Core Loop

This game loop is to be tested for the first prototype.

Core Game Mechanic #1

• Details: You have basic navigational movements

• How it works: tactile input

Core Game Mechanic #2

• Details: You have to capture an orb to get to the next round

• How it works: The orb will be guarded by a horde of germs

Core Game Mechanic #3

• Details: Answer to the question of the door

• How it works: After gaining the orb, the door will be visible. But a side quiz menu will open up. It will give a very brief and crisp information about the germ you dodged and will ask how do you mitigate that in real life. Regardless of the answer, an explanation will be provided based on real life application.

Core Game Mechanic #4

• Details: Traps will reduce health of player

• How it works: When player comes in contact with the traps , they are propelled backwards with damage effect.

Objectives and Progression

• The blob starts from an open area. It moves by jumping on tiles. then the map keeps getting intricate. Air provides tutorials with how to interact with the world.

• The main objective of each level is to capture an orb and open the door. But the door asks a question about the germs which protects the orb.

• The extrinsic goal is to get to the germ boss and defeat it. But there is also the implicit goal of exploration which will be rewarded with hints for quiz to be asked.

• As player keeps progressing , they earn power-ups which help them to deal damage to the minion germs and the boss.

Game elements

Characters

• Wota: Wota is the main protagonist of blobish. He has a round body with emotive eyes. His main objective is to be the best. Wota can absorb orbs and gain powers. The player controls Wota’s movement , combat and progression.

• Air: Air helps Wota by providing valuable information which helps in development of player growth.

• Salmonella Germ Minion: One of the minions who guards the orbs with power.

• Fecal Germ Minion: One of the minions who guards the orbs with power.

Location

Bathroom Microcosm

The events take part in the bathroom microcosm, the terrains have seasons, geography and various obstacles with respect to those terrains. The artifacts and characters have connection to the specific environment they belong from.

Objects

• Energy Boost Orb : This orb enables Wota to shoot energy blasts based on the type of orb absorbed.

• Environment Trap: Each environment has its own set of traps which effects the player negatively.

• Enemies: They deal greater damage than environments. In some situations one shot kill the player.

• Doorways: These are needed to progress to the next area.