Hey there everyone,

I’m really lazy when it comes to writing to actual people (whereas I love writing fiction), but still I decided to breathe some life into this neglected blog and keep anyone interested updated on my current game projects.
From now on, every week at least one new entry shall be made and I really want to stick to this rule as much as I hope YOU stick around (more bad puns will definitely follow, it’s my destiny).

As most likely nobody may have noticed, I’m writing this entry not as buttoned up and ‘professional’ as previous ones and that’s simply because I think it’s useless to imitate a style that really doesn’t feel natural. So from now on I write the way my brain comes up with stuff without wanting to sound nice all the time.

But enough of that, let’s get to the topic, shall we?

I’m in the middle of my latest project ScapeGhost, which I am entering for the WinBig competition by YoYo Games – the company behind Game Maker – and Microsoft – the company behind (you probably guessed it by now) Windows 8. Goal of the competition is to get more games into the Windows Store and by offering a nice first price of $10.000 they were quite successful to convince me to enter.

But what kind of game is ScapeGhost?

It is a classic platformer in one way, but more like a hybrid of puzzle solving and action-packed running and jumping with a twist: You play two characters at the same time.
To be true, it’s more one character that has been split in half by a thunderbolt. As gruesome as this sounds, it actually frees the protagonist from the cell he’s been living in for years. Both his head and his body survive the shock and need each other to escape this nightmarish prison.
Playing as two players at the same time might sound intimidating at first, but it’s really simple. The head is controlled with the mouse and can fly through the levels like a ghost. The body is controlled with the keyboard and moves like most characters in platforms. He is still bound to the physical world and cannot move through walls and such. That’s why he is also still vulnerable to attacks and has to be protected by the head.

The goal for me was to create two characters that need each other but also have both strengths they can use to escape the prison. This creates a dynamic relationship between the two figures, as one cannot escape without the other.

Later in the game, the head can learn new abilities like morphing into a platform the body can stand on and many more.

You can watch this video to get a first impression of the gameplay (it is still WIP, though):

The only two parts that still need to be done for the competition are the boss fight at the end of the prison levels and the intro.
Next week I’ll present you the boss in more detail and in the week after that I’ll show a sneak-peak of the intro.

Hope you got the end despite the wall of text.

If you want to hear more of my ramblings, follow me (Rebusmind) on Twitter.

Have a nice day everyone!

-Constantin