Artifact
Date: 2019
Engine: Unity
Genre: Grapple – Platformer
In Artifact, you navigate a human-like low-poly character through an abstract world. To get over the chasms of the game world and reach the end of the level, you have to use your grappling hook to swing form platform to platform. The game was developed using the Unity game engine and produced during 48 hours at the Franken Jam 2019. I participated in the Game Jam as a solo developer.
Players control their character from a third-person view and can also manipulate the camera. Players can also enter aiming mode by pressing the right mouse button or left trigger, where the camera zooms in slightly and a crosshair appears. When the crosshair is positioned over one of the floating anchor points, players can use the left mouse button or the right trigger to throw out their grappling hook and swing over the abysses in the game world.
Especially challenging for me was making the swinging feel good. I acquired new knowledge in this regard, mainly from the physics simulation and Unity’s joints system. I also learned a lot about the camera add-on, Cinemachine.
The Franken Jam 2019 was the first Game Jam that I participated in as a solo developer. Because of that, Artifact especially challenged my graphical skills, and even if the result still is reminiscent of ‘programmer art’, I really enjoyed my first steps in the 3D modeling world. Getting the game to a playable state in 48 hours while working alone was quite the challenge, but it taught me some lessons on time and task management.