What has always fascinated me most about video games, and what lifted it above other media for me, was how the player is directly involved and how the game progresses. The players express themselves through the game mechanics! But the way that is handled is completely different depending on the genre. An adventure game lets the players express themselves through dialogue decisions. A fighter lets the player express himself through an intricate dance of key combinations and reactions. A racer lets the player express himself through the choice of the car and the driving style. And a 3D platformer allows the player to express themselves through simple movements.
This realization made the genre so special for me. Special enough that I had to tackle it with my spectacular team to experience it up close and see how we can explore this core idea in depth. Every genre has its own form of expression, which often involves a certain complexity, but simply moves through the world? It’s as fundamental as it gets, and that’s why it’s so exciting for me. It’s beautifully simple and accessible, but hides an insane depth! So how exactly is it done? It’s all about the details, to give the player an abundance of choices for their progression without the need for a special solution.
Let’s say the player has to climb some kind of tower. Does the player walk towards it right away? Or do you take a leisurely stroll first? Do you start with a triple jump followed by a double jump to get the first lead? Or do they do a triangle jump instead, followed by a wall jump to jump to the next platform at the top? Are they carefully turning past some moving platforms or jumping over everything to get past them faster? The point is, the player analyzes how they want to move past a room and then acts on it with their own style! Giving the player options that are both satisfactory and easy to perform is key. Add an extra layer of depth by cleverly combining movements and you’ll get even closer to that sense of self-expression through movement.
With Demon lawn We released a demo a while ago that includes weekly challenges, and that’s how we’ve developed a thriving speed running community. It is not an exaggeration to say that the styles of play between our best runners were so different that I was able to tell them apart and tell you which shots are of which runner simply by observing their style of movement. And that is something very special for me and our team. To make the movement so effortless and to blend their plethora of choices so seamlessly that people develop their own styles and feel badass all the time. Beginners and experts alike!
With that in mind, we also tried to add a healthy amount of accessibility options so hopefully no one would feel left out, even as the levels get particularly challenging. This included implementing button mapping, color-blind modes, and a variety of gameplay options. It also meant that if you just got stuck and couldn’t beat a level despite your best efforts, we had to find a solution! This is where the “revolutionaries” come into play! For a small fee for collectable candy, you can ask them to complete the level for you! But don’t worry, you can always reclaim your candy by trying the level again later! We’ve also added gameplay mods that you can buy to modify your movements, as well as dyes and pets to customize your look. Beebz, the protagonist, not only expresses your movements, but also rocks your styles!
We really put our hearts and souls into this game. It’s full of content and challenges, has a world full of strange characters, and at its core tries to be the most fun 3D platform experience you can have. Demon lawn
Demon lawn
Playtonic friends
$ 24.99
The demon world is inhabited by all sorts of villains … Most of them are grouped into gangs fighting for supremacy, each led by their own chief honcho. But even these bad guys are no match for the Demon King himself! Instead, the task falls on Beebz, a young demon who is barely a thousand years old and decides that it is time to kick every leader of the district in the butt and become the demon queen herself. • A unique aesthetic that combines the expressiveness of 2D illustrations with the depth and sense of exploration that 3D environments can offer! • A world full of humor and style, accompanied by the music, from the protagonist’s rap to the colorful characters that populate the world! • A unique view of progress! Take a victory lap and explore previously beaten levels to discover their liberated state, with lots of mechanical and environmental changes to discover. Or take some time out at the turntable and take on side quests and other special challenges instead. • Pull up some clever platform combinations or get physical with a special physics-driven combat system that adds to the chaos and fun. Push, pull and turn your enemies out of the way. • Another way of looking at checkpoints that allows the player to place them anywhere. Show without them for a perfect run or set one in preparation for a challenging section. • Unique challenges like “Photo Hunt” mode in which you have to take photos of hidden places and surprising moments! Or just take photos and selfies for fun and share them on all social media! • A fantastic collection of mods for sale that can be cleverly combined to completely change the way you play! Or you could buy some dyes and pets instead, the world is your oyster! • Tons of carefully crafted levels that keep adding new challenges and engaging bosses full of character and life! Until Beebz reaches her … The creators of Slime-san have their newest creation! The team used everything they learned from their 2D platformer to take this 3D platformer to the next level!