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Roles: Designer, Artist
September - October 2023
Assets created in Sketchbook & Adobe Illustrator
>> PLAY HERE <<
Design Notes:
When we started working on this game, we had one key word that we wanted to capture: absurdity. Our original game idea arose because of our team composition: two of us enjoy mecha and robots, and the other two enjoy fashion. The first version of the game that arose from this was very objective-focused: there would be certain random requirements that are set for the game (i.e. colors, shape, etc.), and players would have to use their hand of cards – which represent mech parts – in order to best fit the given requirements and score as many points as possible. There would also be certain aspects that players would have to avoid, or risk losing points. These requirements represent the cyclical and rapid nature of fashion trends, as well as outdated trends that aren’t “in” anymore, and we thought this would be a great combo with the idea of mechs and their ability to be customized and personalized (similar to Armored Core and other mech-building games).
our initial paper prototype
Our first iteration was fun conceptually, but ultimately felt too limiting because everyone was trying to achieve the same goal. We eventually decided on ditching the fashion aspect altogether, and focused on the idea of mech pilots being vain and worried about their appearance, but instead of pursuing trendiness, they were pursuing romance (a juxtaposition that greatly contributed towards our goal of absurdity). Our next iteration became a bit of a dating game, but in the style of games like Apples to Apples or Cards Against Humanity, where players act as suitors vying for the heart of the mecha wifey herself. This format made the game a lot more freeform and flexible, because it was about appealing to a person instead of a preset rule (this aspect of the game also made it a very fun party game, where you can leverage your relationships with other players and your knowledge of their interests).
Gallery:
Gundam-inspired mech
Zaku-inspired mech
Armored Core-inspired mech
Metal Gear-inspired mech
Individual player assembly "baes"
Central assembly "bae"
