IVY ZHAO

ARTIST & DESIGNER



ACACIA.



2D NARRATIVE PUZZLE





A relaxing narrative-driven exploration game that includes puzzle solving and platforming with a focus on production techniques and documentation.


One day, a girl came across a massive wilting tree and is tasked to save it by collecting magic relics. On her journey to collect them, she slowly learns to see colour in the world around her and overcomes her sadness and melancholy.


+ Role: Game Design, Concept Art, Development, Documentation

+ Tools: Photoshop, Animate

+ Engine: Unity

+ Development Time: 4 weeks

+ Team Size: 6


VIEW GAME DESIGN DOCUMENT





RESPONSIBILITIES.



  • Pitched initial game idea and presented bi-weekly progress updates along with team members
  • Set narrative and art direction, illustrated concept art and 2d art assets
  • Collaborated with team members to solve level design challenges and create game mechanics
  • Integrated 2D assets into Unity and scripted encounter events
  • Wrote and maintained game design document


USER STORIES





Following agile development methods, user stories were created to get an idea of what players would want or be expecting for the game. Breaking down larger stories (epics) into smaller ones helps us keep track of our features and requirements that need to be met.



NARRATIVE & ART DIRECTION



Because our focus was on narrative and art, we looked into games with similar aesthetics and narrative styles that we wanted. Such examples were Journey, Gris, Oxenfree, and Child of Light. In the end, we were heavily influenced by Gris.





DESIGN HIGHLIGHTS.



MECHANICS



Colour Changes



Reviving trees restores the colour of the world.



Carrying Water



Carrying water has a timer, water the vegetation before it runs out.



Growing Mushrooms



Mushrooms grow bigger when watered.



Reviving Trees



Watering trees will revive them and make them stand upright.



Reviving Golems



Golems help destroy blocked passages.



Completing Objectives



Every level cleared will light up one element icon.



Collect Water



Player uses interact key to collect water.



Carry Water



Player carries water to the dead tree and presses interact to water the tree.



Revived Tree



Player uses revived tree as platforms to reach goal.



LEVEL DESIGN.





The forest level is made up of 4 sections.


P1 is meant to be the tutorial section, where the player learns how to jump (1) and pick up items (2).


P2 tests what the player has learned by having them jump and water again.


P3 gets more difficult, as the player has a tighter window to water the mushroom, as the water source is farther away (5). The player then has to water the dead tree blocking the river. Due to the way being clear, the statue in the water (7) is reanimated, introducing the idea that water will reanimate statues.


P4 tests the player by having them reanimate another statue (9). Because the statue is close to a rock wall, it will be able to clear the path to the end.



GAME DESIGN DOCUMENT.





The game design document focusing on the project overview, story overview, game mechanics, and game progression.





SOME ART.



In addition to design, I was also tasked to set the art direction for the game and create concepts for the environment and character.



Concept Art



Final poster done in pixel art style.



Foggy Forest Environment



Black and white forest area at the start of the game.



Character Sprite Sheet



Walk (top) and idle (bottom) animation sprite sheets.



Walk Animation



Idle Animation



Character Sketch



Rough character ideas.