Mūzaïc

Singapore-MIT Gambit Game Lab 2008 : Casual : Windows / Facebook

Synopsis

Enter the fascinating world of Mūzaïc, where players take upon the role of growing and cultivating their own musical garden in order to create the ideal home for an endearing race of musical creatures known as Mūzes.

Interact with other players all over the world at your own leisure to breed your Mūzes together to grow the musical garden of your dreams.

Featuring a huge cast of the musical Mūzes, each with their own unique signature tune spanning across a wide range of musical genres, Mūzaïc is an audio masterpiece that is designed to be accessible to the visually impaired and yet appealing to sighted players at the same time.

Research Goals

• Designed for both the Sighted and the Visually Impaired


• Remote Asynchronous Multiplayer


• Identity Masking


• Online Social Network

Videos

Trailer

Gameplay Video

Screenshots

Mūzaïc in the Media

Mūzaïc on Channel 8 / Channel U News

Mūzaïc on RAZORTV (Part 1)

Mūzaïc on RAZORTV (Part 2)

Websites
http://apps.facebook.com/muzaic_game

http://gambit.mit.edu/loadgame/muzaic.php

RAZORTV - http://www.razortv.com.sg/

Troll & Armor

Emerging Entertainment 2007 - 2008 : Action-Adventure : Xbox360 / PC

Synopsis

"Use your Shape-Shifting Troll to save a Mystical World."

Troll&Armor is a fantasy action-adventure game with a unique twist of management. The story follows the journey of Rusty and Troll, as they set out on a quest to fully restore themselves to their former, single entity, Lucan; at the same time, returning order to the enchanting fantasy world of Haelum.

As Rusty, players employ resource management in the form of Gem Stones used to guide Troll and utilize his powers to overcome obstacles and solve puzzles.

At certain points in the gameplay, Rusty and Troll are momentarily restored as Lucan, and the game progresses to a more dramatic, combat-focused, action-oriented pace. Both styles of gameplay are cohesively tied to each other and weaved seamlessly into the engaging backstory.

Key Features

• Innovative Game Concept: A refreshingly original game concept that seamlessly fuses management elements into an action-adventure game in a way that is never-before-seen; laying a conceptual foundation for an entire slew of creative gameplay scenarios.

• Immense Game Variety: The progression in gameplay as players learn to utilize the different abilities of the 3 main characters, Troll, Rusty and Lucan allow for tonnes of gameplay variety spread throughout two different dimensions of gameplay.

• Pick-up-and-Play Accessibility: An instantly comprehensible GUI and an intuitive and consistent Control Scheme will allow gamers to be drawn into the Troll&Armor experience instantly.

• Depth of Gameplay: Performance-based incentives, secret areas, upgrades and hidden unlockables will have the dedicated player coming back for more.

• Enthralling Backstory with Memorable Characters: A light-hearted and humorous narrative that is free of blood and gore, ties in flawlessly with the gameplay. Coupled with original and amiable characters, players of all ages will be able to appreciate the emotionally engaging-narrative.

• Unique Art Direction and Visual Style: A unique Fantasy-meets-Steampunk art direction realized with the graphical powers of the next-gen consoles sets the world of Troll&Armor apart visually and artistically.

Game Design Concept

A brief summary of the game design concept of Troll&Armor.

• Troll&Armor is a unique gameplay experience that adds an innovative twist of guiding and management to the traditional action-adventure formula.

• Players play as Rusty, the magical Living Armor, who collects magical gems, guides the mighty and amiable Troll and manages Troll's repertoire of magical powers.

• Troll is not only an indispensable tool in overcoming the mind-bending environmental puzzles, with his various abilities, he also plays the role of your greatest weapon in conquering menacing enemies and defeating epic bosses.

• An additional dimension of gameplay comes in the form of Sanctuary Areas, areas in which Troll and Rusty are temporarily combined and restored as Lucan, Hero of Haelum; enabling a slew of different abilities to overcome new obstacles and battle opponents in a more action-oriented style of gameplay.

• Strong artistic direction and an original narrative, make Troll&Armor an extraordinary gameplay experience built upon a radically innovative formula.

Trailer

Screenshots

Characters

Gameplay

Environment

Game World / Backstory

The World of the Wizard

I set my feet upon the ground of this brand new world and gaze out into the distance. I behold an ocean of darkness, glistering with stars and all manner of heavenly bodies. I raise my head and set my sights on the space above me. It is not the sky that I see, but a massive body of water, defying the laws of gravity, suspended in mid-air. I smile to myself, for it is all good in my eyes.

This is the world that I have always dreamt of; a world of perfect chaos. In my world, nothing has to be what it was supposed to be. A world where Laws have no power, Seasons follow no order, Opposites can coexist and Systems have no place. My world exists in utter rebellion to yours. It is the anti-thesis of all you know, believe in, and hold to be true. This is the world through my eyes, the eyes of an unrestricted child, a child with no respect for boundaries or placement. This is my grand design of chaos, my world of paradoxes.

In my world, pre-conceived notions of perfection you call “expectations” will do you no good, not when you will never know what awaits at every turn. So, prepare your hearts to be amazed at the things you will soon see. Creatures that live beyond your wildest imagination wait to bewilder you. Lands that defy all manner of logic beckon your arrival, lying in wait to bend your mind and open your eyes to the truth … And the truth is … there is no such thing as an “Impossibility” in my world, the world of Haelum.

- Words of the Grand Magus

Graphic Novel

Level Design

Level Maps

Puzzle Design

Website

http://www.emerging-entertainment.com/

As used with permission by Emerging Entertainment
Copyright of Emerging Entertainment

Big Bang!

National University of Singapore Arts Festival 2007 : Indie / Game Maker : PC

Synopsis

Showcased at the National University of Singapore Arts Festival 2007, Big Bang! is a unique hybrid of collecting objects to increase mass (Katamari Damacy), a gravity mechanic (Strange Attractor), avoiding obstacles and enemies (traditional shooters, e.g. Geometry Wars), combined with a destructive supernova explosion mechanic, to create a one-of-a-kind, intuitive gameplay experience.

Game Concept

Players guide a UFO around in space, using a gravitational force to attract objects. As the mass attracted increases, the gravitational force gets larger, allowing the UFO to attract bigger objects, but trading off the movement speed of the UFO with the larger mass. As a destructive and strategic element to the game, players can activate a Supernova, which varies in size and power according to the current mass of the UFO. This mechanic can be used for blowing up bigger rocks into smaller particles so that they can be drawn in. These two core mechanics lay a foundation for many interesting gameplay objectives.

To add challenge to the game, players will have to avoid various obstacles, such as randomly moving comets, homing enemies, and screen filling meteor showers. Overall, the game will be one that balances reflexes, (e.g. maneuvering the UFO to collect objects and avoid hazards), as well as strategy (e.g. considering the rate at which to increase mass, when to trigger off a supernova, etc.).

Videos

Screenshots

Marketing Brochure

Outer Side

Inner Side

Website / Development Blog

http://sinkingshipstudios.blogspot.com/

Retro Billy Bones

NUS Contrast 24-hour Game Jam 2006 : Indie / Game Maker : PC

Synopsis

Built from scratch in a mere 24 hours by a team of 2 people, using Game Maker. Retro Billy Bones was an entry in the inaugural Contrast 24-Hour Game Jam organized by the National University of Singapore's Communications and New Media department.

 

Game Concept

Players guide the protagonist, Billy Bones, through the chambers of heaven and hell, as he attempts to get his life back and escape the clutches of the Netherworld. But between him and his (ex-)life, stand a group of vicious enemy guards that would do anything to stop him.

In accordance to the competition theme of "contrast", the enemies in Retro Billy Bones can only be beaten by first warping them to the opposite side, making them a contrast to their environment, before they can be eradicated.

With aesthetics and a vibe that hails from a forgotten era of gaming, Retro Billy Bones is a tip of the hat to the yester-years of gaming; when the only objective was: To kill EVERYTHING that moved.

Videos

Screenshots