Concept Comparison

When I compare the original concept to the current build of the game, including the old Java version, there are definitely some differences between what I planned and what I ended up making. The core idea is still the same. It is still a top down RPG inspired by Undertale and other games of that type, and the general tone and style stayed consistent, especially since it was a recreation of an older game that i created in java in 2025, but as development went on, I had to rethink a few mechanics and features to fit the time I had and what actually worked in practice.

Originally, I imagined a more linear story with a stronger focus on narrative progression. Once I started building the world and systems, I realised the game felt better when it leaned more into exploration, interactable objects, and environmental storytelling. This shift made the world feel more alive and gave me more room to add personality through dialogue and small details.

The interaction system changed the most. I first planned something simple, but it grew into a full dialogue system with typing effects, sound blips, and multiple dialogue lists. This ended up being one of the strongest parts of the game and helped give everything more character.

There were a few mechanics I wanted to include but did not have time for. These include:

• More enemy types(only got 3)
• A more complex overworld progression system(armor weapons crafting more etc)
• Environmental puzzles...
• More world state changes

Even without these, the systems I finished such as movement, dialogue, interaction, enemy AI, health, and controller support still match the spirit of the original idea.

Visually, the game is very close to what I pictured. The pixel art style, simple characters, and clean UI all match the tone I wanted. I did not draw every asset myself, since my girlfriend made most of them a year ago, but I edited almost everything to keep the style consistent.

Audio changed from my original plan too. I thought I would use more retro, chiptune style sounds, but once I started putting things together, I realised a more ambient and subtle approach fit better. The final audio direction supports the atmosphere and helps the game feel more grounded.

Overall, even though the final game is different in some areas, the changes improved the experience and helped the project find its own identity.

Feedback Summary

I got a good amount of feedback during development, and it helped shape the game a lot.

Movement feedback was mostly positive. People said the controls felt smooth and easy to understand. Controller support was also well received. A few testers mentioned that diagonal movement felt slightly faster, so I adjusted that. After some small tweaks, the movement stayed mostly the same for the rest of development, other than changing the sprint animation speed after Chloe suggested that it seemed odd to move at the same speed when sprinting.

The dialogue system got strong feedback. Testers liked the typing effect, the sound blips, and the overall feel. Some early feedback pointed out that the interaction feedback was lackluster, so I added a small pulsing effect when in range of an object.

A common piece of feedback was that the game lacked direction early on. Chloe on Discord helped with the idea of a blocker, like paper or shrubs. I went with tape, which forces the player to get the sword and prevents them from dying with no gear.

Visual feedback was very positive. People liked the pixel art, colours, and general vibe. Many mentioned Undertale and Deltarune, which is exactly what I was aiming for.

Overall, feedback helped me fix bugs, improve clarity, and polish the game.

Asset List

Art and Animation

All made with https://piskel.app

Player and NPCs

• Player sprite: Custom pixel art
• Shopkeeper sprite: Custom pixel art
• Wizard Sprites/animations: custom pixel art

Enemies

• Enemy sprites: Custom pixel art

Environment

• room images: custom made
• Props: Custom made
• Interaction markers: just an effect in game

UI

• Dialogue box UI: Custom
• Buttons and icons: Custom pixel art

Audio

Player

• Interaction blips: made using beepbox.com
• Damage sounds: made using pro.jsfxr.me

Enemies

• Hit and death sounds: made using pro.jsfxr.me

Environment

• Ambient loops: Edited and layered
• Interaction sounds: made using beepbox.com

Scripts

Core Systems

• PlayerMovementController
• PlayerHealthSystem WITH HEALING!!!!
• InteractableDialogue
• Enemy AI script
• Inventory system
• EnemyMovement
• EnemyHealthController
• InventoryDialogue

UI

• Dialogue UI
• Health UI
• Coin and score systems
• Jumpscare (secret)

World Interaction

• Trigger zones
• Interaction markers
• Object toggles
• Shopkeeper interactios
• shop interactions
• enemy killing
• enemy damaging the player

User Guide

You play as a character exploring a strange world inspired by Undertale and similar games. You can interact with NPCs, explore the environment, avoid or fight enemies, and uncover the story through dialogue and world interactions.

Controls (Keyboard and Controller)

• Tab to open inventory. Inventory items are clickable.
• WASD or left analog stick to move. Shift or L3 to sprint.
• Press R to auto heal, and Q to open the heal menu.
• E or Square or X to interact.
• Click anywhere to shoot (needs to be unlocked). Controller shooting is not supported yet.
• Right click or X or A to melee (needs to be unlocked). Controller melee is not supported yet.

Features

• Smooth top down movement with partial controller support
• Interactable objects and NPCs
• Dialogue system with typing effects
• Enemy roaming and chase behaviour
• Health and damage system
• Shopkeeper interactions
• Pixel art visuals
• Ambient audio
• Small amount of story (will be expanded in the future)

Resources Used

• piskel.app
• pro.jsfxr.me
• beepbox.co
• Backrooms music: youtube.com/watch?v=al5bVKJtFxA
• Tutorial 3 for the remove off screen script

AI Acknowledgement of Use

AI was used in the creation of this document to rewrite some parts of the text for clarity and a more professional feel. AI was also used to help create one script, the item description database script, since I had no experience with JSON files. I used Ecosia AI for that, but I no longer have the chat logs since I did not have an account and only used it because it is a green, zero emission AI model. AI was also used in the creation of some of the panel scripts since I know very little C# in that area.