Anuu – 2D Platformer
Info:
Project Type: Video Game
Year: 2022
Context: School Project
Team: Team of 2
Platform: For PC using Construct 3
Role in the Project:
Game Designer – Level Designer – Narrative Designer – Producer
Description:
Anuu is an immersive platformer where the player guides a shaman through a spiritual journey to uncover the origins of their people and soothe wandering souls. Set in mysterious and atmospheric environments, this emotional adventure invites exploration and reflection.
This 10-minute demo was created over two months as a showcase of our skills for the end of our bachelor’s degree.
Origins and Inspirations:
Anuu was born from our end-of-year project: a two-month challenge to develop a vertical slice of a platformer, in teams of two game designers. With my teammate, we wanted to build a narrative- and environment-driven experience, inspired by titles like Journey, Hollow Knight, and Limbo.
We drew from Mesopotamian mythology and Siberian shamanic traditions to craft the foundations of our worldbuilding.
Production Phases:
Once we established the story we wanted to tell, I began building a solid narrative framework. We aimed to design this vertical slice as a fragment of a larger game world rather than a standalone school assignment.
Maintaining a strong coherence between the universe and our design goals was essential. We needed to detail the story just enough to support the slice, without overcommitting to preproduction after all, we had only two months.
Meanwhile, we laid out our gameplay elements and started building the 3Cs. From there, I began prototyping mechanics and building the first level greyboxes, iterating continuously throughout production. I integrated visual elements as they were completed and made improvements based on feedback from our instructors.
Reflection on Anuu:
Anuu was one of the first major projects I had the opportunity to lead. I learned a great deal, and if I were to do it again today, I would approach many aspects differently. Some mechanics lacked depth, difficulty balancing suffered from a lack of vertical slice understanding, and bugs arose due to our inexperience with Construct 3 and its logic.
Despite this, Anuu was a crucial learning experience. It taught me how to manage a more ambitious project than a game jam, and laid the groundwork for many of the methods and tools I use today.