Parry Perry
Solo Game Dev
Parry Perry can be played here
STRATEGY
Game Outline
Parry Perry is a side-scrolling platform game where enemies can only be damaged by parrying their attacks. Its a skill based game where timing is key to the players success. The player has a health bar and must make it to the end of the level without their health being reduced to zero.
It has a cute and colourful aesthetic which was purposely chosen to contrast a more hard-edged gameplay mechanic (parrying) that is usually occupied by knights and ninjas.
The goal of this game was to put an interesting twist on a well known genre with high quality artwork, animations and UI.
Goals
Unique parry mechanic
Vibrant art style
Juicy animations
Highly polished UI
Simple and fun gameplay
Frictionless user experience
Playable with keyboard and gamepad
Competitor Research / Reference
The aim was to create a visually striking, flat 2D style that was cute but also quite geometric.
I took visual inspiration from games like Pikuniku, Poinpy and Patapon, while trying to also infuse a sense of fun and adventure that can be found in Katamari Damacy and Mario games.
Ideally the game would feel as good as a Mario but with the parry mechanic twist. This feeling of timing and skill was well represented in Poinpy.
SCOPE
Priorities
To priortise the user experience, the UI is intended to be as clear and understandable as possible, containing no ambiguous text or instructions, indicating menu controls wherever applicable, and clearly communicating game state changes to the player.
I didnt want the game to punish the player, so health will replenish if the player is not taking damage for some time and the general rules of platforming games are never subverted.
The parry mechanic is the unique point of this game and is explained clearly using UI cues when needed.
STRUCTURE
System Map
This system map indicates screen changes, functionality and game states which can be found within the game.
The navigation is simple and clear, with a few screens dedicated to story. There is space for settings and accesibility options, but due to time constraints, those features were out of scope for this project. The game can also be fully quit from the pause menu, rather than forcing the player to return to the main menu first.
SKELETON
Flow
SURFACE
UI - Gameplay
UI - Menus
WRAP UP
Final Thoughts
For this project, I set out to create a small, engaging game over a 6 month period of time, with a view to release and sell the game on itch.io. I feel that goal was well achieved and the game is available for purchase on Itch for just $1.
While the game is functional and enjoyable in its current state, there were a few features I would have loved to include if the development period had been a little longer. These include a variety of customizable settings such as adjustable resolution, audio volume sliders, and keybinding options. Additionally, accessibility features like colorblind modes, and variable difficulty options would have been important to make the game more inclusive for a wider audience.
During the development process there was a significant amount of iteration on both the gameplay mechanics and the visual design. This was particularly true for the game’s logo, which went through several revisions before reaching its final form. These iterations were driven by feedback with a focus on making the game as visually appealing as possible.
Lastly, the audio design for the game leverages royalty-free sound effects and background music, which helped streamline the production process. However, in a perfect world, I would have spent the time to create these sounds from scratch, or collaborate with a composer to create custom audio that more precisely aligns with the vision and tone of the game.