itch.io

Still searching for artists, our team has now 6 people.

Hi everyone! Exterminium here again. A few weeks ago, I shared the concept of The Great Well, my dystopian Tetris-inspired puzzle-platformer where you play as a 13-year-old "Adjuster" trying to survive while humanity lives inside falling blocks. I have some updates: I kinda made the character move and get some items to open the door on the first scene. The project is moving forward, and I’ve refined the Game Design Documents (I have a two-pager, that mostly doesn't repeat itself ! (I guess)).  Now, to bring this Game Boy Color-styled world to life, I am actively looking for: 

1 Pixel Artist: To work with GBC-inspired palettes (4-tone or extended) to create the character animations for Ricky, the NPCs, and the industrial/dystopian block environments.  

1 Programmer: To help implement the core gameplay loop—specifically the 2D platforming movement, the falling block physics, and the "Retention Cube" / "Tension Rope" mechanics.

Anyone who just wants to help: I'm accepting people who just want to help too, on any part of the game.

  What I offer: 

-Narrative and Two-pager.  

-Total commitment to organizing tasks, writing, and learning whatever is needed to support development. 

-Planning to try and get not only on itch.io but on steam too, but that just a plan yet.  

If you are a beginner looking to build your portfolio, or an experienced dev who just loves subverted nostalgia and deep stories, come join us ! Comment below, and I’ll gladly share the Two-pager and current progress, I managed to implement basic player movement and item interaction for the first scene. The prototype is up and running, and while it's still a very rough skeleton far from the final experience, it proves some mechanics work. It still ain't a Platformer type game as I decided to learn, but I'll try to fix this.

Now we need to build the actual fun part. Let's build this well together!

yeah, I have one, my nickname is exterm1ni_um, thanks for helping !

Can you use discord ? If so my nick is exterm1ni_um there,

Hi everyone ! My name is Exterminum, I'm 17 years old and I spent nearly one year with health complications (I still have this health problem, but don't worry, I won't kick the bucket soon) and I wanted to do something worthwhile for once in my life. I'm actually Brazilian, just to make sure that this won't be a problem to help me or not. Well, I developed the concept for "The Great Well", a game that blends Game Boy Color nostalgia with a dark, dystopian narrative.

The Project:

Now, imagine a world where humanity lives inside Tetris-like blocks (called tetrominoes). You play as Ricky, and "Adjuster" who must move these blocks in mid-air to prevent them from creating "Holes" - glitches in the system that leads to death. It's a platformer where you use a tension rope with a hook to pull massive falling structures into place

Unique Hook:

The game shall feature a moral score system. If you are too "greedy" (by clearing too many lines for big high scores), you trigger a massive "multiplayer-style" attack from the lower classes, changing the story's branch.

What I bring to Table:

- Narrative Foundation: A document where I wrote a simple story about Ricky's greedy route (having 5 chapters, it is a little rushed but it has a beggining, a middle and an end).

- One-pager: I have yet a simple One-pager made yesterday, but still something I am willing to show anyone who wants to help me (in any way, even if it is giving advice) or to anyone who just want to see it.

- Visual Identity: I already have choosen the style it would be the best for the game I'm thinking, the progression in each part of the game and the two main mechanics for the fame, just need to bring it out the paper.

- Commitment: I have too much time in my hands, as I said, by being sick, so, I decided to do something for once, as I'm afraid of not doing what I can and want to do, knowing that, I'm learning things so I can try to support anyone who is helping in the any way possible.

What I'm looking for:

I need Programmer and a Pixel Artist (and eventually a composer) who are either looking to build their portfolio or want to learn and grow together. Since this is RevShare, I don’t expect a professional with 10 years of experience—just someone passionate about retro games and meaningful stories.

If you enjoy dystopian themes, nostalgia, and want to create something meaningful, let's talk !