Zeus & Rhea is a an asymmetric cooperation game where two players can control ducks with an exotic controller shaped like plushie ducks, using a MakeyMakey device.
The game and its controller were made in two months on Unity as part of my second year at ISART DIGITAL, with another Game Designer, Victor Ternisien, and a Sound Designer, Guillaume Brunet.
Details: ISART Digital
Dates: January 2019 - March 2019
Roles: Game & Level Designer
Tools: Unity 3D - PowerPoint - Excel - Illustrator
What I worked on
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Game Design
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UX Design
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Narrative Design
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Merch
Concept
The two players have different abilities and must therefore help each other throughout their adventure in order to succeed in their migration to the Eldoraduck.
Each player can move by tilting their duck forward or backward.
Rhea, the mummy duck, can fly by pressing on her back, while Zeus can only do small jumps.
Both players can quack by squeezing the heads of their ducks.
Finally, Rhea can grab small objects with her beak when pressing it.
To progress, they will have to face various platform or puzzle situations to solve, but they will also encounter many more or less friendly animals with whom they will be able to interact
Keeping the users in mind
The intention in terms of design was to offer the duos of players an experience as close as possible to a parent-child relationship. They can even hold hands, which will make Zeus run back to his mummy.
At the beginning of the game, the duckling's limited abilities mean that he will often be brooded by his mother, who will be responsible for resolving situations. Gradually, Zeus will have more and more opportunities to assist Rhea, and will even be able to progress alone at some point.
As a result, the game has no real game over: if players encounter difficulties or get too close to a threat, their ducks will only flee for a short distance. This allows the players to move at their own pace, to experiment and to make mistakes.
Building a controller
The real challenge of this project was to build a controller that was both easy and intuitive to use, but also resistant and pleasant to handle (even for smaller hands!).
We went through multiple iterations before reaching a satisfactory result:
First of all, paper plans of the different mechanisms we would need.
Then, a paper mock-up to test the MakeyMakey's connections.
Next, a first wooden draft made up only of the "skeletons" of the ducks, to test the controls.
Finally, the finished version, mostly made of wood and felt for the aesthetic finishes of the ducks.
