This was the second major project created for my second year Console Game Development module, intended to show proficiency in various aspects of developing a game for a console rather than a desktop or similar device. It is noticeably more ‘complete’ than earlier PS Vita projects shown on the site as the intention was to show the development of complexity over previous projects, meaning it uses less ‘abstract’ visuals, includes audio and makes use of the Box2D physics library for more accurate physics interactions.
Originally the game was designed to be a small 2D Metroidvania-style Exploration game, with heavy inspiration from the game Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet but after some realistic consideration of time constraints it was brought back to be a more simple 2D shooter with some elements left over from the original design.
One of the main features of the game, which is not conveyed by the game at the moment, is that a lot of the game is very easy to configure due to the file system which I built to handle storing and loading object data. Using this system developers can modify aspects of most parts of the game, which is primarily useful for creating varying weapons, enemies and obstacles to place into levels. This is one of the main features I intended to develop and utilize further as I spent more time on the project, as I would like to make the game more focused on the shooter aspects that it current has rather than the exploration aspects of the original design.
Like other PS Vita projects on the site only source code is available, however I am currently in the process of porting this program to other platforms primarily using OpenGL and SDL so an executable and alternate source code will hopefully be available at a later date.