New Project: HiddenStar

Tim McDowell launches himself into making a game about a little robot and a strange alien.

Since early Summer I’ve been working on a new project. The concept is to create a new game based on the Knytt Stories source which will use the Knytt Stories level editor for design. Anyone will be able to create and share their own content for the game. Though this approach gives me a good head-start in programming, there’s still plenty of programming to do, not to mention the gargantuan task of creating all the graphics and sounds. Thankfully, I am receiving help with music.

To make Hidden Star stand in its own right, I’ve reworked many of the key elements of game-play. The first notable change is the view. The camera tracks the player through large zones while the viewing area has shrunk. This has allowed the addition of parallax scrolling backgrounds. The smaller view necessitated cutting back on the player character’s speed, which brings me to the second big difference: platforming mechanics. There are two playable characters each with their own move sets. The fast little robot can’t climb sheer walls; but he can duck, crawl, and grab ledges. The large and strange alien can climb some surfaces, glide through the air, and swim through the water. Additionally each character has special ways they can interact with the environment, and receives different reactions from its inhabitants.

The video below has the robot showing off his moves to some uninterested humanoids. I’ve a long way to go in this endeavor, but I think I’ve made a good start of it.