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Tales of Kulplex

7 years ago

Tales of Kulplex, Devlog #2 - Game Mechanics

In this devlog, I will be covering the base game mechanics of Tales of Kulplex.

The seed of my idea first made its roots during a very long journey through Siberia by train. It all started with a notepad, a pen and a seemingly endless frozen landscape.
In the midst of such monotony, I began thinking about a game where nothing was fixed, and everything could change. A game where even the body of the main protagonist could be built up and broken back down, though not always by choice. One could choose certain abilities, certain body parts, which would influence the way the player experiences the game.

Introduction

Having different body parts linked to these abilities seemed like a good and fun approach. If someone could use Hulk’s arms, they could get into fights and break the world around them! Whereas a character with legs of a cheetah could simply speed by and whiz about the game.

In the beginning, the player starts out as simply a ball, known as the core. Throughout the game, the player has the chance to explore the world but also to find new body parts, building up their body and unlocking new skills and play styles.

Yao, the main protagonist, as well as the rest of his people all have the following parts in common:

Core
Head
Arms
Legs

Each of these parts has their own special function.

Core

The Core is where the personality, or one could also consider it the soul, of these creatures resides.
Every core is unique in look and very fragile. In fact, that’s the weakest part of the creature’s bodies, which is why it is commonly protected by the rest of the body.
Due to its shape, the core allows the player to roll to safety in times of dire need but that’s about it.

Head

The Head is gives access not only to specific skills, which depend upon the creature, but also to anything visual and auditory, from colors and the UI, to different alarms and sounds. In addition, the face gives the character a unique identity and history within the game. This can be both a strength and a hindrance, as NPCs may recognise the face as a known troublemaker and respond unkindly while a different group of NPCs may see the face of a hero.

Arms

The Arms enable certain types of attack but also allow the player to interact with objects in the world. Touching things, moving objects or opening doors is possible thanks to the arms.

Legs

The Legs are connected to the motion of the player, allowing them to walk and run and also to jump. As with the arms, some types of legs have their own special attack and defense mechanisms. They add a whole new dimension of freedom in the world.

Conclusion

The game mechanics are my way to be able to work with different mechanics and play styles and also to provide choices to the player. It might be hard to please everyone with unique and static characters, so letting everyone build their own personal combination will hopefully be more fun!

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