{"author_name":"lucas_gaspar","cat":"LD #26","comments":[],"epoch":1367719740,"likes":0,"metadata":{"p_key":"42726","p_author":"lucas_gaspar","p_authorkey":"6505","p_urlkey":"78361","p_title":"Hito \u2013 An organic, minimalistic experience","p_cat":"LD #26","p_event":"LD26","p_time":"1367719740","p_likes":"0","p_comments":"0","p_status":"UPD5","us_key":"6505","us_name":"lucas_gaspar","us_username":"lucas_gaspar","event_start":"1366934400","event_key":"16","event_name":"LD26"},"text":"

When we first found out that this year’s theme\u00a0was “Minimalism”, the whole team panicked; we had assembled a team eager to exploit our very diverse capacities and strengths, and right from the beginning we were forced to keep it simple. Truth be told, the condition taught us to work under a scheme we had never worked under before so, in the end, we are grateful with the experience.<\/p>\n

\"Click<\/a>

Click this image to play!<\/p><\/div>\n

Click here to play Hito’s Main Theme!<\/a><\/p>\n

Hito is a simple game: the goal of it is just to traverse the world you’re set upon destroying all the platforms before reaching the final door. We like to think this minimalistic idea was what gave us the tone to fit all the pieces around in, and so we did; all aspects of the game, there on, were thought to complete the minimalistic mood: the narrative is all done in haiku, the levels are shaped as the Japanese kanjis for the level number in turn, the music (keeping with the oriental theme) was written in some sort of pentatonic scale and the character was created to be simple, yet endearing. Our efforts turned out to be very rewarding when we experienced the final product and felt everything was in its right place.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>

The first screen was planned as a tutorial.<\/p><\/div>\n

We realized, once we had put together this different ideas, that the game-play could become a little repetitive if we just leave it that way, and that’s where the level design helped us. We spent a whole day putting together mechanics and layouts that could not only be beaten differently by each player, but also some that pushed them to think outside the box. From level 3 onwards we added snow, vertivcal segments (obligated for the kanji we based the level’s layout), and darkness to keep the experience fresh and the challenge growing.<\/p>\n