Outside
GAME ART (2017)
Project
Outside is an award-winning, multi-level platform puzzle game. It was created by a team of three as a final project for Simon Fraser University's (SFU) Advanced Game Design course.
Outside was assessed by a panel of judges from the gaming industry, along with votes from SFU's School of Interactive Arts and Technology (SIAT) students, alumni, mentors and professors. Learn more in the Awards section.
Primary Role, Visual Asset Illustrator:
My role involved creating all the visual elements within the game which included: backgrounds, sprites, cut-scenes, user-interface elements, and more.
Collaboration:
The plot and play-testing was done in together with the programmer and game designer.
Tools:
ADOBE | Photoshop, Audition
UNITY | Animator and Compiler
For those unfamiliar with Unity, here are the instructions for the file: https://goo.gl/6NemLQ
Credits
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Hinkik - Explorers (Showcase Film)
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​Dexter Britain - Sleepless Nights (Second Level)
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Game Design: Outside
Awards
Our game "Outside", a puzzle-based adventure platformer, won first place while receiving the highest grade in the class. The panel of judges consisting of industry professionals made a special mention on its visual aesthetic and praised my work.
What could be a unique and appealing gameplay mechanism that the project would be based around?
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The concept of an “out-of-body experience” was chosen as a game mechanic due to no popular games featuring this phenomena at that time. The game designer crafted puzzle based obstacles that used this as an added layer of complexity.
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A simple storyline to add emotional appeal and to serve as an impetus for the player to move through the obstacles was also integrated, allowing a cohesive theme for the sprites, environments, and soundtracks.
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Inspired by Simon Fraser University’s main campus being up a mountain surrounded by wildlife, the game environment was created with a similar aesthetic appeal, surrounded by alpine greenery, rocky terrain, and grey skies. The aim was to playfully allude to SFU’s students and alumni through familiar visuals in a different lens.
Cutscene and gameplay integrated storyboard excerpt
Challenges & Solutions
Challenge
Solution
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Work was split based on each member’s strengths.
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For the visual assets, due to having experience with illustration and design, 2D sprites were chosen rather than 3D, allowing for rapid asset creation and visual testing. Despite being more dated, this choice led to higher quality work that was more memorable and appealing overall.
Level 1 map and puzzle overview by the game designer
Level 1 bubble diagram of level evolution by the coder
Story and sprite designs by me
Solution
Challenge
The team, having 3 members, has less than the average team of 4. How can the work be distributed at a pace that meets the milestones and deadlines?
Process
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Group formation
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Ideation phase
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Draft sketches
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Game concept poster draft
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Game proposal presentation
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Greyboxing game mechanic version
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Storyboard creation
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First game version complete
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Play testing round 1​
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Second game version complete
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Play testing round 2
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Soundtracks applied
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Storyline artwork finalized
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Sources compiled
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Project showcase competition
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Project complete
​One player from the first round of user testing