In Corporeal (Jam Version)
Ranked 11th of 950 entries in GameDev.tv Jam 2022
Genre: Narrative Platformer
Role: Solo Developer
Engine: Unity
Platform: Web
Play: https://yousayrandy.itch.io/in-corporeal
🧠Core Concept
A puzzle-platformer where players toggle between corporeal and ghost forms to navigate shadowy environments. Inspired by Limbo, Demon’s Crest, and The Frighteners, the mechanic centers around non-combat movement puzzles using limited-form traversal.
🎮 Key Mechanics
-
Corporeal / Ghost Form Swap: Ghost form allows traversal through walls and obstacles. Human form interacts with the physical world. The game restricts swapping based on proximity to light sources.
-
One-Screen Puzzle Design: Each screen is a self-contained challenge, allowing focused iteration and precise design control.
-
Platforming with Intentional Constraints: Borrowing from Demon’s Crest, movement abilities are limited in ghost form (hovering only), which enabled tight control over challenge flow.
🔧 Development Highlights
-
Time-Constrained Design: Built in under 2 weeks for GameDev.tv Jam 2022. Worked nights only—2 hours max per day—due to parenting responsibilities.
-
Custom Character Controller: Replaced default Unity controller for tighter ghost/corporeal switching behavior. Tuned movement code manually to better suit puzzle interaction needs.
-
Lighting + Aesthetic Polish: Used Unity 2D URP with custom spotlights, silhouettes, and ambient audio. Even small polish passes (e.g., randomized footstep sounds via animation events) contributed significantly to feel.
-
Tooling & Workflow: Leveraged Unity Asset Store for placeholder art and particle FX, modified via Audacity and Unity shaders to fit the aesthetic.
🧩 Level Design Approach
-
Built 13 stages from start to finish in a single day after a week of prototype polish.
-
Levels designed in gameplay order to mirror player learning curve.
-
Feedback praised “elegant” progression and puzzle clarity, particularly the way the ghost mechanic is introduced without tutorial text.
🧪 Post-Jam Iteration (July 2022)
Objective: Add narrative dialogue and evaluate pipeline for potential commercial version.
-
Implemented Custom Dialogue System: Forked from Brackeys tutorial, extended to support multi-character conversations, skippable scenes, and conditional flow without interrupting gameplay.
-
Learned Limitation Handling: Coded system from scratch when the base system proved too inflexible.
-
Result: A basic but functional narrative wrapper now exists, suggesting a promising foundation for a fuller game.
🧠Challenges & Growth
-
Design Burnout Recovery: Entered jam after career upheaval and personal stress. Used this project as a controlled, healthy return to development.
-
Game Jam Strategy Reset: Prioritized fun and polish over scope, which led to smoother implementation and a better final product.
-
Positive Community Reception: Jam feedback praised mechanic originality and level design clarity. Ranked highly in the jam (if applicable, you can add the final placement once known).
đź› Tech Stack
-
Engine: Unity (2D URP)
-
Language: C#
-
Tools: Audacity (sound editing), Brackeys tutorials (system scaffolding), Unity Asset Store (prototyping), Trello (task planning)