Pitch
In Everywhere, you will have to move through a cramped tunnel gallery to reach the exit. You will have to do everything to escape the roots that are chasing you.
Goal of the game
The goal of the game is to find the right way through the different possibilities offered to the player. You also have to avoid the enemies and do everything to reach the exit.
What we decided to do
Everywhere is a small horror game made during the Global Game Jam 2023 on the theme "Roots".
We had three days to do a project on this theme. We chose to make a small horror game where roots would chase the player in a cramped tunnel.
The tunnel would occasionally open up into larger rooms to sometimes give the player time to breathe and sometimes force them to make choices for their survival.
We tried to create fake tunnels with roots in them to catch the player. The player has to run away and backtrack to find the right tunnel.
We also added an enemy that lurks in the tunnels and can catch you, you have to avoid it at all costs to hope to reach the exit.
In terms of gameplay, the player can move and turn the camera. He can also turn on certain lights at specific points that symbolise safe zones where he knows he will not be attacked. There are also QTEs where the player has to spam a button when he gets caught by roots. The aim is to increase the stress when he can't move any more. To do this, he can also crouch down to pass certain tunnels, which also slows him down.
For the atmosphere, we used black and white to play with light contrasts to reinforce the idea that the player is trapped in a narrow tunnel. The sound effects and the music help to amplify this oppressive atmosphere.
My role in this project
My role in this game was to do the level design.
I started my blocking based on our character, our camera and our controls decided by the other designers.
I then worked with the environment artist to create all the modules I would need in the right dimensions.
I was then able to perfect the level by creating several iterations and modifications as I tested.
I'm happy with the result, despite some balancing issues in the game, we are getting closer to the experience we wanted to achieve and I think the level design follows this idea.
