"Jimmy BallBoy" - Concept Phase - V0.1

NOTE: This phase of the game is extremely early and purely focused on testing out potential game systems/features.  The current assets are free assets I used in a gamedev.tv course, the final game will use original assets and although structurely similar, will look completely different.

What is Jimmy BallBoy?

Jimmy BallyBoy is, on the surface, a very basic 2D Platformer about a boy, Jimmy, who goes on a quest to find his missing dog. Jimmy travels deep into a cave system near his home in search of his best friend, equipped only with his dog's favorite toy,  a ball, which has the strange knack of bouncing back to Jimmy whenever he needs it. This humble ball will be Jimmy's only weapon and tool againt the cave's many enemies and obstacles.  Along the way, Jimmy meets the fireside stranger, a mysterious man who may aid Jimmy with useful information but also confound him as he reveals startling information about Jimmy's reality.

Breaking the fourth wall...

This game is the beginning of a very ambitious project, especially for a beginner dev like msyelf. Although the gameplay will be very basic, being heavily inspired by the classic Mario games, the scope for the story, characters and future games is anything but. This game will be the introduction to the Jimmy BallBoy universe. It will also be the birth of Jimmy himself. But as he progresses through the levels, then each successive game, he will slowly learn about his reality of being a game character. How does a game character react to the information that he is just programmed pixels in a machine, designed by some being he can't even conceive of?  These are the questions faced by Jimmy early in his story, presented to him by the fireside stranger, a mysterious character called Valis, who seems to show signs of freewill and existence beyond the game world. As Jimmy expands his consciousness, so does the worlds he inhabits. As Jimmy experiences different genres and dimensions, he grows more intelligent and sentient, but the questions become deeper and more complex. What is he? Who made him? What is the endgame?

Features of: Concept Phase - Version 0.1

• Contains 4 levels and ending screen
• Option of joypad or keyboard controls
• Basic progression between levels
• Basic movement controls
• Jump height depends on length of button press
• Player has basic run, jump, climb and death animations
• Player dies if touches enemies or hazards
• Basic death screen appears upon death
• Ball can be thrown and retrieved
• Ball can kill enemies and break blocks
• Ball can interact with fire and water elements
• Player will restart level without the ball if they died without the ball
• Ball collectible appears if player starts level without ball
• Basic UI showing statis of ball
• Particle effect for when the player lands on the ground

Features and fixes I plan to add next

• Particle effects for the fire ball
• A basic ice level
• A ice ball which freezes water and enemies
• Fix the horrendous proportions of the ending screen canvas