itch.io

I am relieved to announce that I have finished Relevance. It is a 2D pixel art action adventure game I developed solo in Unreal Engine.

I abandoned this project 5 years ago as a demo. But it never left my mind. Two weeks ago I decided to return to it, polish it, and finish what I started.

Purchase it here ($2.99):
Relevance

Hello everyone, my gamedev journey has taken me to experiment with Unity. Yesterday I published a small top-down action prototype that was meant for a game jam. It revolves around the idea of Death and how getting closer to dying increases your strength.

The project doesn't have much aside from combat and exploring the void island. There is lore but I wanted to keep it within a certain time limit, so it isn't included.

Go check it out and tell me what you think about the style or if the combat is too difficult. It'll help me in the future if I come back to make a full-fledged game out of this. The link is below, thanks!

https://itch.io/embed/3628693?linkback=true&bg_color=03053f&fg_color=e66262&border_color=fa2b2b

Bold statement considering your game (which is one of the games I tried during the jam) doesn't actually prove my points wrong.

(Following the failed attempt on stealing the crystal..) The character wakes up in her room and the only guide you get is your "friend" telling you to come out. After you find your way out of the room you're free to go anywhere and explore a world unknown to you, the player. Talking to the guy was 100% optional until you need to carry on with the story. At least I suppose, nothing out of the ordinary happened anywhere else when I skipped him. Well... getting the honey from the old lady was unordinary and unexpected... Not to say the player might not pick up all the items at first if they're not thorough. The blood lake area has an "Ahah!" moment, where it might seem obvious but you wouldn't know that - unless you have the bottle first. The player is only limited by how much they explored and picked up, the world itself is completely open.

While I'm at it, quick bug report: The second time I entered the library while wandering about without following the story, I was locked inside for good. I couldn't get out.

I'm not saying the host's definition is wrong, I'm saying it's vaguely explaining what an adventure game is. "Story-driven" and challenges preventing you from continuing the story can apply to any other genre of videogames too. I don't need people to agree with me. I'm saying these things so they open their minds.

Precisely, Colossal Cave Adventure, a game where you are dropped into an unknown world left to your own devices to explore. To wander about using your collected knowledge and proceed with picked up items. To fall off a pit because you took the risk to explore further. Literally, it is a game about an adventure- with the slightest hint of a story. And the puzzles don't lock the player out of a story, they're locked from knowledge and other items that might help on other parts of the journey later.

As for your rogue-like example, you are right. And it is the same as what I said earlier. Videogames are defined by their mechanics. Rogue-likes are like Rogue; in the term which, those games have mechanics similar to the one that gave birth to the genre. Games similar to Colossal Cave Adventure would mean they involve its mechanics, worldbuilding, and use of exploration to deliver that feeling of having an actual Adventure.

Determining that and using Colossal Cave Adventure as example, what I said is not far from the truth. An Adventure game is about having an adventure in a world limited by the player's knowledge, abilities, (I might perhaps add) possessions, or the game's mechanics.

Note that I never mentioned action in my statement. I mentioned how the player is limited by their knowledge and abilities, not necessarily combat abilities. As for the example on the first Zelda game, the internet can say it is action-adventure or even RPG. But at heart it is an adventure game. Miyamoto(hopefully typed that right) wanted to replicate his experiences of getting lost when younger and exploring unknown areas to him. That in itself is what adventures are, by definition. Going to the nearest forest you've never visited to discover the unknown, find out what lies beyond. And luckily not get attacked by a stray bear, you don't want to go into that kind of beyond.

I just feel like there is a misconception in what generally defines adventure games. Because again, any game can be story-focused. Undertale isn't an Adventure game, story-focused though. Detroit Become Human, story-focused. The Last of Us, The Walking Dead, NieR: Automata, same applies. If an Adventure game is defined as story focused, all of these games would be categorized Adventure.

Once more, I'm approaching this from a technical point of view. One where games as interactive experiences are defined by mechanics and user interaction from within their worlds. So technically speaking, adventure games are games where you explore that which you have no knowledge about. You're there to travel and see what lies in this small new world aided by its mechanics and puzzles. If a game purely was story-driven it'd be the same as watching a movie; totally counterintuitive to what videogames are. And obviously if a game doesn't have a story, then it would ultimately lead to a dull experience without a drive for the player's actions. In all games you will advance the story by overcoming challenges and solving problems. It is the main goal of every piece to push the player forward until the end of the story it wants to tell.

Concluding, I see how adventure games are defined with that general view. Yet I disagree due to the fact that said definition is very vague, and could apply to any other genre similarly.

I'm willing to disagree on this definition of an adventure game. Yes I am disagreeing with Wikipedia too. It is somewhat... confusing, looking at it from a technical standpoint. For one, any game can be narrative-focused. Game genres are not defined by their stories, but by their mechanics and how the player interacts with the world using these. In an adventure game you're going in to explore  and unravel a world and its marvels. If there is a story then it's a plus, because everything catches meaning and makes sense.

You are presented with puzzles, yes, however those puzzles are not exactly related to narrative. Some adventure games might be clever enough to implement it as a way to add to the story. But those puzzles are just part of the world as an obstacle to test your knowledge of it. To see how far you've progressed learning the mechanics.

Let's give an example; the very first Legend of Zelda. No one played it for the story. If you read the manual that comes with it, yes, it has a story. But the game itself wasn't meant to draw you in for a story. The only story that would exist on it is your own, the one you'll tell your friends about how you got wrecked on a late-game dungeon for going in too early. And that, was quite an adventure. You discovered things unknown to you before, you struggled on your way. Exploration was led by curiosity. (A deeper story would be added much later on the TLOZ sequels.)

Often the obstacles presented in an adventure game are your lack of knowledge and ability. I don't know what's around the corner, but am I willing to explore? Am I willing to risk not having the ability to overcome what's next? Do I know how the next puzzle works? No? Have I missed something? Is there another place I might need to explore? 

All in all, adventure games are ones in which you are placed in an unknown world to conquer and discover. It could be linear, it could be open. You're limited by the unknown and your abilities as a player, or in-game mechanics. This can also apply to other games, but adventure games focus better on their worldbuilding and interacting with it. They're not just there to tell you a story, they're also there to be explored. 

If you take away a story from any game and get nothing from under it, then it's not a game. Videogames are interactive experiences after all.

Perfect, thank you lots for trying it out again!

I am excited to announce that I have finally published my very first demo! You can check it out HERE!

Relevance is an open-world metroidvania in development by one person! That's right, just me. In the demo you'll get a taste of the mechanics and how the graphics will be. However, note that these are not final and it may differ from the full project.

All feedback is welcome, I am looking forward to improving from this experience, and I want the full thing to be a blast. Contact information can be found in the demo's page, and the Kickstarter is on its way!

I'll leave you here as there are a lot of things I gotta do, thank you for your time!