Refuge (Namida Sai)

Enjoy the peace you find For those who can't reach one PLEASE NOTE: the web version of this rythm game gets considerably out of sync with the music.  Please consider downloading a desktop version below for a (more) in sync experience!

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Devlog coming soon on my Youtube Channel!

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72H Game Jam - JUICE OFF!

There was one called Comfy. He organised the mightiest of battles between Youtube Game Developers. It was called the Infinity War of Game Devs round 1. Or, as we like to call it, the JUICE OFF. The goal? Make the juiciest game of them all. The rules? Make it in 72h and No Violence allowed.

Ideation

When I heard about the restriction, I thought I would not only use it as a constraint but also as a theme to inspire the context of the game. I soon decided I would make a game about a cute tiny monk. Would it be a platformer? A puzzle game? I've done those before... So no: I decided to do something I hadn't, I went with a rhythm game.

Game Design

Since I don't like doing anything easy, instead of going for a song that has a regular beat and constant movement, I went for a very sparse and meditative Guqin (7-stringed traditional chinese instrument) piece. This forced me to try and map every note of the melody to the game. It's not perfect on that side, but I'm happy with how it turned out mood-wise. 

For the gameplay itself, I wanted to try and reproduce the feeling of playing the instrument as close as I could using a computer keyboard. You'd have two hands, with notes jumping from one side to the other, so you too could feel like a musician, having to learn the piece beforehand and sometimes letting one of your hands doing the work by memory rather than conscious thought.

As for JUICE, well... For me, Juice manifests itself through small, almost invisible details that the player doesn't necessarily notice but feels. That's why I made the instrument slightly sway as you play it, made the sunlight dim in and out as clouds pass by, made the monk breathe and play along with the player, all whilst trying to keep the animations as clean and subtle as possible to build the mood up rather than ruin it. Hope I succeeded!

Why "Refuge"?

The title and setting of the game is a way for me to pay tribute to the Tibetan unrest and struggle against the Chinese government. It's also to remind us to appreciate those moments of peace wherever we find them, for those who cannot find any.

Thanks for reading, and let me know what you think!

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Soundtrack:

Birds on Guqin by Cyril Baranov - (licensed via Pond5 under Geoffrey Mugford)

Game Engine:

Unity 2020.1.16f1

Sound Effects:

Small Waves gently lap onto lake shore by Kevin Boucher

Fonts:

WC Mano Negra Bta by WC Fonts / Atypeek

Senty Hanyi Marshmallow by Wang Wei