Okay, I’ve been keeping this one to myself for a little while...
I’m making a platformer. That is, a digital side-scrolling game!
It’s been over 8 years since I started designing board games, but it’s only been a year since I started toying with digital games. And after a year of trying stuff out, I finally decided to create one from scratch.
It’s called Fireworks Fiasco, and here’s the story:
It all takes place on New Year’s Eve, when something feels a little... off.
The town council has switched over to a new fireworks company called Kaboom Fireworks, run by a guy named Hecky. But there’s reason to believe that whatever they’re planning for midnight might be a whole lot more explosive than everyone expects.
So, naturally, someone has to sneak into the fireworks facility and figure out what’s going on.
Enter Chimi.
Chimi
My boy is no athlete, and he’s a bit chonk. But his instincts are usually spot on, and he strongly feels that Kaboom Fireworks is up to no good!
He’s this little blue-hoodied protagonist I’ve been bringing to life over the past few days, and that alone has sent me down a completely new rabbit hole.
I usually design pretty much everything using Illustrator and Photoshop. They’ve been my comfort zone for years.
But with Fireworks Fiasco being a digital game, I had to do things differently.
So I picked up Aseprite. And it has been a wild, WILD ride!
Pixel art is a completely different beast. Designing a character is one thing. Figuring out how that character should look while walking, jumping, moving frame by frame, and actually feeling alive on screen is another.
Chimi’s idle animation!
I’m learning every day, though. Chimi’s base sprite is already done. I’ve been working on his animations too, and slowly but surely, this little game is starting to feel real.
But here’s the part that probably makes the game a little more relevant to you guys.
I’m planning a print-and-play version of Fireworks Fiasco too!
Yep. A game that will exist as both a platformer AND a PnP. First time? ;)
I’m still figuring out exactly how the story will play out in the PnP version, but the idea of translating a platformer into a PnP is really, really exciting to me.
After Escape the Living Library, this will be the second time I’m designing a PnP of my own. So yeah... I’m SUPER pumped!
There’s a lot to learn, a lot to build, and quite a bit of experimenting ahead.
So yeah, Fireworks Fiasco is officially in the works. Wish me luck!
Follow Fireworks Fiasco on Instagram to keep up with the progress.
- Tas.
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