Greetings carbon based lifeforms! It is I, nina, the artist and animator for Broken Dawn, a game made for the Brackey's Game Jam 2024.2! I wanted to share my experiences and document this momentous occasion with all who are curious <3

Introducing the characters who brought forth this game in one amazing week

We were a team of 4. We had Mr.Ant , the tear jerking writer (no really, i cried when i finally played the game and got to read the story), main leader, game designer and game dev. Then Siqi Liu, the core dev, programming dev, and co-lead who had a totally different timezone than me and so while i was sleeping they were working hard with their wizardry. We then had Matt, the musician, composer,  sfx champion, and me the art and animation wizard, co-lead and with a dash of level designing thrown in for good measure.

So on our first meeting we had established the vibe that we wanted to have and it was split down between three goals: Theme, Emotional Goals, and Experience goals

Theme:

Since the theme was Calm Before the Storm we had a big brainstorm and through all our different ideas the core concepts that lingered between us all were the sense of acceptance that comes before a major event, the unease we feel before a tragic event, and enjoying the moment while it lasts.

Emotional Goals:

The emotional goals were to have the player feel a sense of confidence turned to overwhelm, peace into fear, tension, and looming threat. We also wanted to have the player connect with the characters on a deep level, understanding their journey and following them through their struggles. I think we nailed this in multiple ways, i wanted the game to start off and end with a long walk along the beach and with that time, it'll give us the chance to tell the story and begin developing a relationship between the player and the characters, we learn immediately there is a strong relationship between the two characters and that their time together is coming to an end soon, creating a sense of uneasiness, already beginning to split the relationship that was seemingly so strong and had been for so long. I think the panic really played into my emotions when i started reading the story that Mr.Ant had created and the fricken amazing music that Matt had made all put together with a timer going off slowly telling us "holy crap! Hurry up! She's going to die!!!" It was at a point i was trying to read the story and also panicking to get to the end without Alba dying. That is an actual game mechanic that needs to be fixed lol but it does really make one stressed out because alba is dying while you read the text :P

Experience Goals:

we wanted TEARRRRSSSSSS I SAY!!! TEARSSSS!!!!!!! as well as self awareness: accepting the loss of someone dear, reflecting on the experience and what it means for the player. I think we did that! I know i cried finally getting to read the story as the game unfolds, and reading as alba tells me that she's fading and to hurry up. I really loved this story and how it developed. I had a lot of power and knowledge building up the beach, cliff, and house scenes, i made them after all! After i had given over the tilemaps and assets and a very rough interpretation of levels to Mr.Ant he took on the task to  create the levels and adding the story lines. I got to experience what it was like to have my work turned into someone else's vision. I got to see the work that Siqi Liu had done making the core mechanics and really cleaning up the game along with Mr.Ant and it was so fricken crazy! Seeing my animations come to life, seeing what my little tilemaps feel like when being able to run around them, what happens when a trap is triggered and little Riven dies. I made them all in Aseprite but you can't really feel what things are like until they are put into the engine. I think my favorite part of the game is the ending, it was a scene that i had no hand in making and it was a total surprise for me. Mr.Ant took the nostalgic art and house parts and created this distorted dream of a beach scene. I really loved the timing of that scene - first you're there looking at all the things from your home almost like you are in a dream, and then they slowly become more disjointed and i really felt that. this dream state and feeling of goodbye.

My Experience as the Artist:

This was the first time i have made a game. It was the first time i got to see my tilemaps and animations put to life and this moment is something i will never forget. It's a powerful thing getting to have such an amazing team working together and allowing me the privilege of seeing my art turned to life for people to share and experience. I hope everyone has a good time with this game, I hope you cry lolololol T___T And, if you've read this far - I hope to see you soon with more games. Thank you for being here, I really appreciate it <3

Asset Pack Release and Streaming your Games:

I will be sharing my asset pack for this game jam soon! I just need to clean them up so it's easier for you ;)

I will be also streaming game jam games so please say hello and share your work so i can play it!