Hollow Skies
A game for the Halloween season
Grumpy Ghost is a short action/exploration game I made inspired by the Halloween season. Through the game, you play as a small ghost searching the enchanted graveyard for your best friend, Roxy. As Grumpy Ghost, you will do battle with evil ghosts, search for keys, fight giant lake monsters, and confront the villainous specter.
01
The Idea
The game was inspired while brushing up on my blueprints fundamentals in Unreal Engine 5. I was watching a short drone movement tutorial when I realized that with some tweaking, it could work for a flying ghost, and the idea for a ghost game began to take shape.
02
Enemies
I created a main enemy class that would follow the player and fire blasts at time-editable intervals. I also added 3 spawn locations for the enemy blasts to make it a bit harder when dodging attacks.
03
Puzzle Elements
The main puzzle element of the game is finding a way to unlock the cathedral gate. To do that, the player must scour the graveyard and find 3 hidden keys.
04
Story
As I began conceptualizing the level, a story began to form. What if the ghost has a best friend that he meets every night at the graveyard to keep each other company? What if they've gone missing on this night? I felt that the mystery would give the player more motivation to explore the level and find the 3 keys. It also made more narrative sense that there are enemies in this world, since the big bad ghost that kidnapped your friend could have henchmen.
05
Level Design
The level is divided into 5 parts. The well (starting point), the tombstone area, the pumpkin patch, the underwater area, and finally the church (where you fight the final boss). I wanted to keep the game contained to the graveyard for scope while still providing the player a sense of variety while they explore.
06
Enemy Classes
I created 3 enemy types with different firing rates, movement speeds, and health to add some variety to the game.
07
Cutscenes
One of the areas where I challenged myself on this project was using cinematics as a way to further the narrative experience. I had a lot of fun customizing animations and setting cameras in the Unreal Engine sequencer to create the climactic engine cinematic.
08
Playtesting
One of my favorite parts of game development is seeing other people actually play your game. It is an amazing ( and nerve-racking) feeling to see someone play and beat your game. It provides great insight into what parts are enjoyable and what parts need improvement. What excites players and what leaves them cold. Here are some players testing the game at two different gaming conventions in the San Francisco area.