Background Paintings from Studio Ghibli

Colorful and high-fantasy but with slightly muted colors to create a sense of reality. Colors are not overly bright, as they are painted with traditional paints - backgrounds in the game will attempt to follow this style to mimic this feeling of traditional paint. Classic Japanese color pallets are known to have have a large variety in their shades of green as well, which foliage in the game will try to mimic. Unlike these films however, the backgrounds in this game will need to be digitally created to exist as pixel art.

Studio Ghibli has also released a series of background free for use "within the realms of common sense", so colors may be directly picked or inspired from the images they have provided here:

https://www.ghibli.jp/works/

Dahl, Gustav. “Measuring how game feel is influenced by the player avatar's acceleration and deceleration: using a 2D platformer to describe players' perception of controls in videogames.”, Aalborg University, 2015. http://gustavdahl.net/other/GameFeel_GustavDahl_Medialogy2015.pdf

A study aimed to deconstruct game feel and acceleration and deceleration in 2D platformers to discover what measurements have the most positive game feel. It uses examples such as Mario, and notes the various minor calculations that were used to create a balanced feeling of control that offered enough lack of and control that resulted in an aesthetic feel. For a platformer game, this smooth and fun feel of control is a vital factor in play, and using this as a reference, this game will attempt to learn from the examples posed by Gustav to create a platformer that feels fair and fun to play. However, as there are some focuses on combat, controls will be slightly more exact to accommodate fast-paced combat action.

To Make a Unique Experience in the Oversaturated Genre of Pixel Platformers

How can a game within the dated genre of pixel platformers create a new and enticing fantasy experience featuring aesthetic control and smooth combat? 

Many pixel platformers with new mechanics have been made such as in Fez by Phil Fish or Pause Ahead developed by Akiisoft, which allow the player to change perspective or manipulate time within the game. However, this game will focus from a more artistic perspective - unlike the traditional method where the art is developed around the mechanics- the game will be built around the artistry including story, characters and environment. This game aims to create a product showcasing a unique, traditional Asian/Western atmosphere, along with higher-quality storytelling and pixel visuals - experimenting if a successful game can be made through this approach of art-prioritization. The key references to be able to create this distinct environment are traditionally painted Japanese anime-styled background painting and small elements of culture such as in the design of weird Yoaki-like monsters. To create a smooth play experience, smooth animations and controls will be needed. A textbook highlighting the basics of Japanese-styled animation, a tutorial on making animations that are used for combat in games, and a research paper on achieving an aesthetic sense of control will be used for this objective.

Digital art allows artists to choose colors without limitation and create paintings quickly, however this does not necessarily mean it will amount to a better product - limitations often found in traditional paintings can help create a more atmospheric and immersive painting. To create an environment that has a distinct style and is fantastical but immersive reminiscent of the traditional hand-painted Japanese anime style, background paintings from studio Ghibli's films will be referenced. Pure white and black will never be used, and the brightest color will often be yellow. Traditional Japanese paint palettes will also be referenced when creating in game environments, which are known for their variety in the color green, as nature is often a key component in traditional art. One challenge will be settling on a level of detail, as limitations in the number of colors can create a nice pixel art style, but creating a painted look with various shades may make blending the different colors more difficult with these limitations. Owlboy successfully creates a high-detailed painted look -though in a more digital coloring style - and manages to keep things clear and comprehensive with a very neat rendering style. But since this game has a tighter timeline, assets may not be as rendered and be more messy. By using slightly muted colors for the environment and more brighter colors for the characters like in Ghibli films, this game will attempt to keep the characters and background distinguished while maintaining a painted style.

Many fantasy games often use the same kind of enemies - slimes, goblins and such - but creating a unique variety of monsters whose backgrounds are each thought out can create a more unique game, which is especially vital when creating a game in this oversaturated field of pixel platformers. Simplicity and uniqueness is key, and when considering the slightly Japanese element of this game Yokai are a perfect source of reference. From cute to scary, and gods to creatures that were born from old tools, the numerous Yokai people of olden Japan imagined and many believed in have a different sense of reality to them compared to typical fantasy monsters. From their designs and illustrated actions, the values and fears from the people of that time can at times be observed. For example, some believed that objects and tools would harbor a spirit after 100 years - called Tsukumogami  - hence the people treated objects with care, at times humanizing/sympathizing with them, which can still be seen today to a lesser extent. Such concepts could perhaps be used to create a monster born from a forgotten object, showing players the value of treating items with care instead of quickly disposing and replacing them. 

Though this game is primarily inspired by Japanese animation, creating art specifically for games should be researched as it is its own distinct practice with different rules or limitations. The World Concept for Final Fantasy 6 is an especially useful tool as it shows the process of creating a unique fantasy world. One of the concepts that stood out were how they encouraged the artists to first believe they were a part of the world they were creating - which allowed the making of a much more grounded, detailed and believable world. Unlike films, games have players actually exist in a full space - not a scene or a shot, meaning the entire area must be thought out and believable to create the sense of immersion. The GDC talk by Cartwright from the Skullgirls game also cover what animations must consider when being made for games - from frame limitations to necessary techniques used to communicate quickly to the player during play. Things like anticipation frames are especially important to players during boss fights, as players will require signals to acknowledge and react to attacks. Again, contrary to films, the animation is not prioritized but is rather built around the gameplay - as something visually appealing will not work if it does not feel good to control. 

The last but primary source that is a core piece of this project is Gustav's research paper on measuring game feel. Game feel is arguably the most important part of a platformer, as smooth player controls is what will keep the player playing the game. The movement design considerations within 2D platformers, including that within jumping, acceleration and deceleration that can lead to the game feel of the “Aesthetic sensation” of control. Gustav attempts to measure this aesthetic feel of control, and finds although there can be specific numbers that appeal to players on average for a certain game, there is no concrete recipe to aesthetic control, as it heavily relies on game mechanics and other elements such as aesthetics. However, it is a vital component of “game feel” to consider the system and timing of jumping, acceleration and deceleration, in order to create a aesthetic experience. Taking this into consideration, this game will attempt to find a balance of smooth control with players not controlling all the precise movements such as in deceleration, but have enough control to create fast paced combat that doesn't work against the player.