5134: Deviant

In a kingdom where individuality is forbidden, clone 5134 embarks on a journey to uncover the truth beyond the castle walls...

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If time permits, we recommend the non sped-up version of the video HERE! https://youtu.be/X94i2wHF6sw?si=9FzU6iPAe_hSfapD

Inspiration

The overall style of the game was inspired by popular visual novel games prior such as Omori and Undertale. The plot of the game had many inspirations, such as Nimona, Wings of Fire, and She-ra. Meanwhile, the character design and art style were inspired by Rain World and Hollow Knight.

What it does

5134: Deviant is a complete, short, dystopian visual novel game. It is based in a society of clones and revolves around a determination to find truth and a better life.

How we built it

This project was developed using Unity and C# for gameplay mechanics and scene transitions, with Visual Studio Code as the primary development environment. Unity's built-in systems for dialogue, animation, and UI were key in creating an immersive visual novel experience. We decided to also integrate a side-scroller type aspect to this visual novel, experimenting with custom backgrounds and parallaxing effects to provide more life to the game as the player moves.

As for art and visual assets, two of our team members diligently worked in IbisPaint X and Adobe Photoshop to create beautiful visuals that really brought the entire project to life. All assets used in the project were either ported in using Unity’s UI handler, or as a static sprite, depending on the intended functionality.

Challenges we ran into

Over the course of the development process, many of the challenges that we ran into were on the technical side. At the core, player progression was one of the most difficult challenges that we ran into, since we wanted to have the player move away from a central scene and then return. Additionally, we decided to try and tackle animation in this game, and it was quite the learning curve. Implementing a smooth animation proved to be difficult, but was ultimately rewarding, since it added depth to the player and made 5134 feel more alive. There were also musical challenges in the limitations of the free app BandLab, and the unwanted virtual, electronic noise that was produced by its instruments.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

We were extremely proud of the success with our first side scroller. The parallax feature looks clean and the art compliments it well. We were also proud of our art, as well, particularly the simplicity yet cute designs of the characters and the final animation. Overall, our biggest accomplishment was most likely how much we were able to get done. We are very proud of our commitment to the project and our ability to keep working, even when faced with extreme fatigue.

What we learned

One of our artists learned that trying to make a drawing perfect sets you back, and a messier style is okay. Our music developer learned a lot about creating music, specifically on the program BandLab. Additionally, the whole project served as a good experience for all three team members to learn how to collaborate and work under a strict time restriction.

What's next for 5134: Deviant

The plot of 5134: Deviant is one that we are very proud of, but we currently do not have any future plans to continue this project. It is something that has been a huge learning experience, and we will take what we have learned into our future projects.

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