Adam Moth is a narrative take on classic grid-based dungeon crawlers, with some bombastic satirical elements and a fantastical baroque style. A two-person project, where I was the designer and artist, working with one programmer. There is an hour of gameplay in the prototype.
I have a fondness for early 90s PC games, and specifically RPGs, and wanted to make a prototype of polished-stage quality of a game representing several of the most beloved PC RPG genres.
On this, I created all of the graphics, implemented the level design in Unity, and wrote 40,000 words of interactive narrative. However, I have subsequently learnt a fair amount about C# and the acts of creating a scripting system, as we were working to produce fairly solid code and infrastructure from which an entire game could be created without need for reworkings.
In addition to making the level, I worked on creating Bioware-style character menus when using the ‘talk’ interaction, and at least 25 dynamic party banters which trigger as the characters rest.
The premise of the game, written by me and my friend in pitching the project:
Elevator Pitch:
What if you had a 90s style grid-based dungeon crawler which had all the character development of a party-based RPG, with all the riddles, dialogue trees, and ridiculous item combinations of a classic point and click adventure game?
Then, you would have Adam Moth: Prince of Puzzles.
Game Description:
Zerox is a Kingdom where Puzzles are an aristocratic tradition taught only to the elite, and govern all society. Prince Adam must prove that he is the best Puzzler in the Kingdom in order to reclaim his usurped throne.
We love playing classic grid-based RPGs like Eye of the Beholder, Dungeon Master, and Wizardry.
However, every time we play them, we find ourselves craving characterization and making up elaborate backstories for the otherwise lifeless party.
Adam Moth looks and feels just like a game from the early 90s – a mostly untapped era for genre revivals.
But it will do more than cater to nostalgia. For the first time, we will give players a reason to emotionally connect to a grid-based RPG.
Through the integration of interactive fiction, Adam Moth will give players protagonist roleplaying and party companion relationships in a style usually seen only in isometric RPGs.
And it will be incredibly silly.
Companion Characters
We worked to try and develop the background for companion characters to be on the level of any party-based RPG where companions have banters, opinions on your actions, and some of them even have romance routes.
The game design documentation on the companion character backgrounds can be read here.
Overall, it was a real exercise in being a generalist, considering we did almost everything ourselves without licensed assets – we even composed the music. The processes and plans are also extensively documented for the possibility of if this work one day is taken up by a publisher or a larger team. From here I’ve become much more engaged with the process of decorative visual level design and user interface design, as well as the technical skills behind C# and Unity.
Read more about the style and UI:
Baudelaire Welch 