Pretentious Game Post Mortem
Alright, this is my first post on Ludum Dare with my first entry, Pretentious Game. Also, this is my very first post-mortem!
So far, Pretentious Game has got a great score on Newgrounds, Kongregate and ArmorGames and also made it to hot posts on reddit /gaming and some talking on 4chan. I don’t know if that’s something, but for me I just love reading the comments from everywhere.
Now let’s start telling the story of the game!
What went right:
The ending – I think I just made the new maze scare (not really), but instead of shocking the player, I presented an unexpected emotional ending.
The difficulty – or should I say, how easy the game is. I even fixed one level to specifically tell the player that they can use mouse too. (I can make a way)
The blocks – Games like this has more personality with simpler graphics.
The music – It’s a great piece from Kevin MacLeod, you should check him out at www.incompetech.
The game engine – This is my platformer engine built around box2d, I’ve specifically modified the jump so it would feel more Mario-like and not floaty.
The number of levels – Including the final level, there are a total of 18 levels. Just perfect to get any player through the game and get to the ending.
Monetary gains
Pretentious Game has won weekly 3rd on Kongregate and also got badges, earning me additional dollars from revenue shares. I also have a walkthrough link directed to my site, and I’ve sold sitelock licenses to ArmorGames and Andkon. All in all, after game was done in under 4 hours, I actually managed to gain almost $1,000 from it.
The Concept
Is Pretentious Game deep or is it a satire? This is perhaps the question going on in the minds of some players. Ok, if you haven’t noticed, the game is inspired by I Saw Her Standing There and Midas. I Saw Her Standing There got 4.2 when I first saw it on Kongregate and Newgrounds, and I couldn’t believe it. I played it and I noticed a very original mechanic and a very good presentation. We discussed it on FGL chat, and a developer said, what a pretentious game. Or something like that.
Then comes Ludum Dare 23, I so wanted to join this, and now is the time. I am already convinced that I will do a platformer with blocks. The challenge for me is to create something with unique mechanic but blocky graphics that will do great on Kongregate and Newgrounds. I attended some personal event, and after I got home, I noticed there’s only 8 hours left. So I tried doing something easier like This is The Only Level. PinoyGameGeek from FGL advised me to use a good story, and it is when I remembered, I Saw Her Standing There.
So I did it, I made the story about a blue block and a pink block and how the blue block will do obscure things just to reach the pink block. I used the title Pretentious Game for I was gonna do a very satirical comment at the end of the level. But then, I have thought of this ending where the pink block will just be out of reach seems more evoking. I added the two cute little blocks so the player can easily analyze what is going on, and also how hopeless the situation turned out.
Why didn’t I get to the satire route? I’ve already made fun of Art Games in Johnny Why Are You In An Art Game?
.. and that’s it!
Congratulations to all who joined and the founders of Ludum Dare. This is one hell of a fun ride, and I hope to join it again!
