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Space
- Exercise to design an entire game played with only one button
- Goal was to have as little text/direct tutorial as possible
- Mechanics taught through level design and audio/visual queues
I designed Space as a challenge to myself to make a game that uses only one button. Since the controls weren’t complicated, I also hoped to teach the player how to play without a direct tutorial.
The player’s ship constantly falls, and rises up when the space bar is held. While space is held, the ship also charges an attack. When space is released, the ship fires it’s attack and begins to fall again.
Through the title “Space” being displayed at the start of the game, players are encouraged to try pressing the space bar and see how that moves their ship. The design of the first level forces the player to fly up long enough to see their weapon charge, and then release to drop down and see how shooting works before any enemies are encountered.
As the game progresses, new twists are added, such as enemies that shoot back and enemies that move, with bosses on each level testing the players skill at navigating the newly introduced challenges.
I did all the design, code, art, and sound for Space and released it on itch.io in October 2018.