KYS is a bullet hell experience where the player has to end their life. This game was created during the 2018 TOJAM (Toronto Game Jam) and was based around the theme of "Winning is for losers". Our group of 5 decided to apply this theme to the traditional gaming convention of trying to stay alive in video games to win. The player plays as a creature that is getting attacked by a giant worm who has infected the player making them believe they are in the pink fantasy the player finds them selves in.
When playing the game the players unknown objective is to get hit by the flying teeth in order to take damage. If the player collects too many hearts their health bar will increase past its maximum, adding an additional bar above it. These health bars eventually fill the screen and block the view of the place space.
Health Bars
Design Pillars
Illusion
Every object in the game has two visuals that it can switch between, one for each of the worlds the player gets to see. The player is able to get a glimpse into the real world when they are hit by a tooth rather than a heart projectile. There is a 50% chance that they will get to see the real world. We really wanted it to be a surprise and something the player would want to recreate and see again, ultimately driving them to hurt themselves.
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Hover over the sprites to see their true form
Uncomfortable Fun
When designing the game as a team we wanted to create a creepy and uncomfortable tone and atmosphere to hopefully lead the player to be interested in what is happening in the real world of the game.
We were able to create this atmosphere through the visuals, animations and especially the sound. It became one of our core pillars early on and when the baby face creature was created and we decided to lean into it.
