A FIRST FAILURE

I participated in the recent 1-Bit Jam, hot on the heels of My First Game Jam, both during the summer of 2023. These were the very first two jams I've ever been involved with. Unfortunately, both jams resulted in unplayable or nearly unplayable games by the time of release.

I hear this is common in game jams.

Full transparency... I had already conceived the title and some ideas for Deep Down & Dark about a month before even knowing about the first jam. 

At that time, I had completed Quest For The X for the Playdate (written entirely in Pulp) and was toying around with my next Playdate game. Because the theme for the 1-Bit Jam for "Light & Dark" turned out to be a suitable match, I put forward the concept and theme of DDD to our team, which was accepted and went into development.

HORROR AS METAPHOR

As a writer, director, and performer, I am a big proponent of dramatic structure in games. Such a structure requires conflict between a sympathetic main character and a formidable opponent. The main character typically needs to go on a hero's journey of sorts in order to mature and eventually overcome this opposition... that is, if the story is a comedy. Comedy ends well for the main character, whereas tragedy ends badly for them.

More on that in a bit.

I also am a fan of the classic horror genre, where the element of the supernatural or the terrifying serves as a metaphor for a psychological trauma or challenge the main character is facing in their "real" life.

Some examples that immediately come to mind:

1. Prey (1975 short story). 33-year old Amelia's real-life conflict revolves around standing up to her mother. The metaphorical conflict is her fighting against a possessed Zuni doll in her apartment. The resolution of this conflict occurs through her violent defeat of the doll, which parallels a violent attack on her mother alluded to in the final paragraph.

2. Sinister (2012 film).  Oswalt's real-life conflict lies in completing a new novel which will bring him success and fame (slight nod to Kubrick's version of The Shining here). The metaphorical conflict parallels this in Oswalt's unravelling of a mystery planted by the demon Bughuul. The resolution of this conflict comes through Oswalt's final solution of Baghuul's mystery, which results in Oswalt's own death along with his family.

3. Hereditary (2018 film). Annie's real-life conflict lies in dealing with depression and mental illness, which run in her family. The metaphorical conflict is in overcoming demonic forces oppressing her family. The resolution of this conflict comes through the demon Paimon eventually possessing and/or killing all family members, and being carried on through Peter, the male heir. 

Heavy stuff! Each of the three examples here end (arguably) tragically, as the main character fails to overcome the opposition before them due to a "tragic flaw" they possess:

1. Amelia's tragic flaw in Prey is her inability to stand up to her mother in a healthy, non-violent way.

2. Oswalt's tragic flaw in Sinister is his obsession with fame over all else.

3. Annie's tragic flaw in Hereditary is her turning to help from the cult/séance. (Or, it could be argued that Annie is fated for this ending regardless of her actions.)

My desire was to create a survival-horror game which could end either comically (well) or tragically (badly) for the main character, depending on their chosen path. The trauma of the main character would be reflected in the environment and challenges faced in-game.

AN EARLY PROTOTYPE

In Pulp, I had already coded the exposition scene for a proto-DDD game, which introduced the main character on a deserted island near nightfall. The basic mechanics of selecting and using items in a menu screen allows the player to set up camp, eat dinner alone, and then begin drinking from a half-empty whiskey bottle. By the time a final item is pulled from the player's rucksack, it is clear that the main character is suffering from some form of trauma and depression (no spoilers here).

I had initially envisioned creating an excavation type of game, where the next morning the character begins utilizing the main gameplay mechanics of digging down into the earth in search of buried items. I hadn't fully fleshed the concept out, but it would include a combination of resource management (health, air/time, funds, etc.), item use (selecting the right equipment to aid in excavation) and block-pushing/pulling to navigate the hazards below ground. But fundamentally, this was all a metaphor for the character "digging" down into his own buried trauma to discover the causes, the coping mechanisms, and ultimately the freedom from it.

I've uploaded the exposition prototype to download and play for free here.

During the 1-Bit Jam, I presented this overall concept and how it might be developed as more of a bottom-to-top escape game in the tradition of Pitfall II, Spelunker, Prince of Persia, and even Dig-Dug or Burgertime. I encouraged the team to go back to the basic mechanics of a game like Dig-Dug to see what fundamentally worked in a game like this, such as the rockfalls.

During development discussions we also settled on the idea of a headlamp and audio clues as key tools for the player to utilise when escaping underground. The headlamp would of course be needed to see within this dark space, and acute listening would let the player know when hazards such as a breaking ladder, rockfall, or a creature were nearby.

Character movement and animations were very important to me, having been inspired by games such as Out of This World and the original C64/128 Prince of Persia.

 I wanted to script key cutscenes and moments that would adhere to a dramatic structure or plot with a defined beginning, middle, and end. Oh, and they would need to communicate clearly, without text, in low-res pixel art.

For the jam, I created all movements, animations, and backgrounds, along with puzzles within a level design suitable to a first demo. This demo would hint at some of the deeper narrative and horror elements, but would more be a proof-of-concept for gameplay mechanics and atmosphere. 

As our team failed to produce a working version of DDD for the game jam, our team went separate ways. I am now working with a new developer (who coded the scaling feature in Google Blocks) as well as our game jam team's original audio designer to produce the version of DDD I initially envisioned.

Follow along with the journey... Deep Down and Dark!