Hello Playdate Devs and Curious People!

I'm so grateful for this wonderful community of artists who have been instrumental so far in making my game development debut project a lovely experience. I've always had ideas kicking up in my head, but never thought I could get them down into something real. Then the Playdate comes along and makes me excited about designing again. Of course, Pulp is so beginner-friendly, but also has caused my brain to tie in knots the past week. But this forum has been sooo necessary as I embark on this journey.

So! 'Horrified Hector!'

After being inspired by a Youtube video one day, I got to thinking what kind of games I enjoy playing. Horror is my favorite genre/theme of gaming. Okay. What would a horror game on the Playdate even be like? I think - screaming, running, ghosts - great - something spooky, rather than scary, Luigi's Mansion - cool. I thought of the funny running through hallways in and out different doors Scooby Doo trope. And somehow I remembered how much I enjoyed the little ice sliding puzzles in the original Pokemon game back in the day. And I guess I combined them to create Horrified Hector, a constantly running man who has to escape ghosts.

So, I'm a week into development. Of course I'm doing the thing where every time I get something to work, I get excited and expand the scope of what I'm planning. I have to keep reminding myself to keep the scope manageable, or I'll get burnt out and never release the thing.

That being said, at the moment I'm almost done with what I'm planning will be 1 of 4 sections/worlds. the game takes place at Duke Scarums' Estate deep in the forest. You begin in the main foyer and move around using the d-pad. Every time you move, you go running headlong until you hit an obstacle. So finding your way through the rooms becomes a puzzle as well as exploration. I'm thinking the area layout will be

-Entryway
-Basement
-Garden
-and then maybe Servants' Quarters/Kitchen/I'm not sure yet, suggestions welcome

Each world will have 8 or so puzzles that are interconnected. That's the current plan. We shall seeee...

So I guess I'm just gonna share some screenshots/footage of what I've worked on so far? I feel like I've learned so much and took so many large and tiny steps this past week that chronicalling it all might be overkill. Without further ado!

I spent far too long on this main menu screen, and I'm still not happy with it. Every time I sit down to create an actual puzzle level, I find myself obsessing over some small change here. I try to set up the idea of Hector's movement here, but still not sold on its effectiveness.

It was important to me to be able to see Hector up close, cause facial expressions in goofy horror like Luigi's Mansion or Scooby Doo are my favorite detail. So, I figured I would create an internal monologue for Hector that is triggered upon interactions with certain objects or in certain "cutscene" moments.

This opening Forest section I made, at first, simply because I wanted to make some spooky trees. But then I figured I could make it a way to show the player that pressing the d-pad in a direction one time will send you flying without need for further input.

Once the player has entered the Estate, I knew I had to ramp up the complexity slowly. So I start with a puzzle that is small and free of many obstacles to direct the player through one of two doors at the top.

The foyer at the start of the clip is kind of the main hub of this area, you're able to go upstairs, and once you retrieve a key there, can venture down either of the left or right halls.

I think that's all for now. I have so much more planning, puzzling, and polishing to go, but I'm proud of the work I've done this week. And that's part of why I'll be sharing a devlog regularly. To remind myself of my growth, and naturally, to keep myself accountable. And hopefully inspire some other new developers to get into the scene, as I was inspired by seeing this community's work.