• Role: Gameplay designer and balancing, Team Manager
• Platform: PC
• Scripting Language: Python

Aaargh! ‘Tis the Kraken!! Was the first project as a student I was part of at PlaygroundSquad.
It’s an asymmetric co-op game that features two players trying to survive together.

Game overview

The first players task is to balance, and keep the boat level. This is done by controlling the boats crew, by moving them you shift the weight around on the boat.
The second players job is to aim and fire the harpoons at the tentacles of a giant Kraken attacking the boat. When they are hit a rope is attached between the tentacle and the boat and the player can choose to cut the rope, or let the tentacle pull the boat while it recesses into the water for a new attack.
The harpoon can also be fired towards crew-members that has fallen into the water, the second player then pulls them up onto the boat before they drown.
The game is finished when all crewmembers has drowned.

Project

The original design was pitched by a great friend of mine, Philip Johansson The whole group loved the idea as it was a unique and exiting concept, so we went for it.
I took the role of focusing on the mechanics and gameplay for this project
Designing and balancing the mechanics in 5 weeks was a real challenge. Our goal was to find a sweetspot where both players felt like they did a difference on their own, but still were dependent on the other player. Striving for this required a huge amount of playtesting and a few iterations of the mechanics for both players. We had to make changes that reused most of the assets we had.
The most important thing I learnt from this project was how important communication is. And how a clear vision and talking about it really keeps the fire burning.

Entry in Swedish Game Awards 2015.