Let Him Brew! Gamedev.js 2024

Play the game by clicking the image above!

Introduction

Recently, my friends and I embarked on an exciting journey to participate in the Gamedev.js game jam on itch.io. The theme of this year’s jam was "Power," and we decided to channel our creativity into a unique browser game called Let Him Brew. This game allows players to concoct potions by either clicking or dragging and dropping various ingredients into a cauldron, resulting in mixtures that grant superpowers.

The Concept

In Let Him Brew, players step into the shoes of a budding potion master. The core gameplay revolves around experimenting with different ingredients to create powerful potions. Each ingredient has its own description and unique properties and combining them can result in a variety of potions with distinct effects.

My Role in the Project

As the creative director, I took charge of the art and world-building aspects of the game. Here’s a deeper look into my contributions:

Art and World-Building

I was responsible for designing the game’s aesthetic and visual elements, ensuring a cohesive and engaging experience for the players. This included:

Creating and refining the ingredient descriptions.
Designing the potion names and their corresponding effects.
Developing the overall look and feel of the game world.

I took extra care deciding what the potions would look like, what their effects are, and I made sure to somehow match the ingredients with either the effects or visuals of the potion.

NPC Dialogues and Gossip Section

One of the highlights of our game is the gossip section, where players interact with various NPCs. I wrote most of the NPC dialogues in the gossip view, adding a layer of humor and intrigue to the game. Our efforts in this area paid off, as we won a monetary prize for the NPC challenge category.

Technical Contribution

In addition to the creative work, I also integrated assets into the game using TypeScript. This involved:

Inputting the art assets into the game engine.
Ensuring smooth transitions and interactions within the game.

The Game Engine

We used the Phaser game engine, which was sponsored by Phaser.io, to bring our vision to life. Phaser’s robust features and flexibility allowed us to create a dynamic and interactive gaming experience. See their thoughts about our game below!

The Game Jam Experience

Participating in the Gamedev.js game jam was an exhilarating experience. It pushed us to think creatively under a time constraint and work collaboratively as a team. The theme "Power" was particularly inspiring, and we had a blast brainstorming and executing our ideas.

Our journey in the Gamedev.js game jam was a blend of creativity, teamwork, and technical challenge. Placing for the NPC challenge category and winning a prize was the cherry on top, but the true reward was the experience and the game we created together. Stay tuned for more updates and future projects!

You can check out Let Him Brew on our itch.io page. We hope you enjoy playing it as much as we enjoyed creating it!