Akshat Sinha - Crescendo

A narrative driven action-adventure game, that follows the story of a depressed musician, who is struggling to stand in the shoes of his parents, who were legendary musicians, and died in an accident.

DEVELOPMENT FOOTAGE

Crescendo is a game, made as a student project, where I was involved as a gameplay/mechanics designer, lead game developer(C# in Unity) and art director.

The game revolves in the subconscious of a Hindustani Classical Musician. The game mimics and personifies an epiphany, and getting over one's inner fears and anxities. The protagonist comes from a musical family, and has a lot of burden to live upto the greatness of his parents. Specially in an age, where classical music is getting less and less popular.

The game also has themes of grief, where you encounter memories of your parents, whom you lost in a recent accident. The way the game conveys the story is through visuals in the environment and dialogues the character says while coming across a fragment of memory.

You play as a miniature version of yourself, and have to go through different parts of your own room, defeating your demons. These demons are personified as trophies which were received by the protagonist's parents, who come to haunt you, and with whom you fight with, to overcome them.

The game makes the player go through platforming and combat. Through platforming, the player comes across puzzles, memories and tasks. Through combat, the player fights his inner demons.

The dynamic camera in the game was used to create a cinematic experience. The artstyle was bright and saturated, to offset the dark and serious narrative.

Gameplay Loops and Game Progression

The game intricately captures the essence of an epiphany, immersing players in the subconscious realm of the protagonist. Assumed the role of a diminutive, optimistic presence within the protagonist's mind, players embark on a transformative journey fraught with long-standing fears and anxieties.Visually manifested as humanoid trophies and awards, these inner demons symbolize the haunting remnants of past experiences. As players progress through the game, they navigate a meticulously crafted bedroom environment, seamlessly transitioning between platforming and combat sequences. The core gameplay loop revolves around wielding musical instruments as weapons, empowering players to engage in both melee and ranged combat. Unlocking various Indian classical instruments, such as the violin bow and shehnai, amplifies the arsenal of musical prowess.Each sub-level introduces distinct waves of enemies, progressively increasing in difficulty, challenging players to adapt and overcome. Meta gameplay intricately interweaves with the platforming mechanics, as players encounter puzzles centered around playing music through a speaker. The emotional state of the player becomes entwined with the music emanating from the speaker, culminating in the crescendo of a musical epiphany.Initially, the distorted and bewildering tones of metal music set the stage, followed by a fusion of perplexed Indian classical melodies. Finally, as players approach the climactic endgame level, a harmonious fusion emerges, birthing something entirely novel and transformative.Through this meticulously crafted experience, the game invites players to embark on a cathartic odyssey, where the convergence of platforming, combat, and musical puzzles coalesces to evoke a profound epiphany.

Process and Experience

LAYOUT OF THE LEVEL

The game has undergone six months of intensive production, fueled by initial concepts centered around a sidescroller that delves into the subconscious mind of an Aghori—a societal recluse. However, our creative direction took a transformative turn as we recognized the potential of a 3D environment to create a cinematic experience that explores themes of depression and the intricacies of the subconscious. This pivotal shift led us to reimagine the protagonist as an urban artist, infusing the game with relatable struggles of grief and anxiety, resonating with players on a personal level.

During the initial month, our focus was on prototyping and pre-visualizing the game's aesthetic. I took charge of developing a modular dynamic camera system to imbue the gameplay with a cinematic essence, employing diverse shot composition techniques. Leveraging the powerful capabilities of Unity's cinemachine camera system, we successfully achieved a visually captivating experience. Additionally, I embarked on the challenge of coding enemy AI for the first time, meticulously studying various enemy generation patterns and implementing a versatile enemy system that could be effortlessly deployed throughout the game with minimal adjustments.

Art direction played a crucial role in shaping the game's visual identity. Concurrently with the prototyping phase, I crafted rough sketches that formed the foundation for subsequent stages of level design. With the intention of striking a harmonious balance between a dark narrative and a light-hearted tone, I aimed to create a visually engaging atmosphere that offsets the game's underlying themes.

In the subsequent months, our dedicated team diligently worked on art assets, animations, and level design, each member contributing their expertise to refine and enrich the game's overall experience. While my primary focus revolved around polishing gameplay mechanics, I also actively participated in character and environment design, ensuring a cohesive and immersive world.

The final two months of development were dedicated to perfecting the challenging boss battle and fine-tuning the enemy system, as these elements formed the core loop of the game. Throughout the development process, our aim was to convey the narrative purely through visual means, utilizing environmental objects and selective dialogue. By employing post-processing techniques and meticulous color grading, we successfully created distinct moods of anxiety, fear, and confidence, enhancing the immersive experience for players.

Although the game remains in the production phase, significant progress has been made in implementing core mechanics and maintaining a consistent visual aesthetic, affirming our commitment to delivering a captivating and cohesive gaming experience.

LEVEL BLOCKING

The initial concept art I made

Character Designs

PLAYER CHARACTER

The base character design I made, with realistic proportions - front and back

The character variations I made based on the base design

The final character design that was selected and modeled

ENEMIES

Enemy Design 1 : I made this based on a small trophy, the character design was inspired by games like Elder Scrolls Skyrim. This enemy is a melee fighter.

Enemy Design 2 : Also based on a trophy, but with a base stand enhances, giving it four legs. The enemy throws projectiles stored in the cup, and used the cup's cover as its shield.

Enemy Design : A trophy inspired from a Grammy Award. It screams through the mouth of the gramophone, which slows down the player and slowly reduces their health

Enemy Design 4 : A trophy making a victory sign. It used its base (Which is on top) to slam into the player

Shlok Goel (Narrative, Level Design)

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