JankenPo!
Loss
If the player wins the Janken match, they are able to quickly grab the hammer and drag it onto their opponent's sprite to earn an extra point!
As an individual project learning the ins and outs of game development, I created an expansion of Rock, Paper, Scissors which focused on interactivity and user experience.
This project was based on the Japanese iteration of Rock, Paper, Scissors (JANKEN) where the winning party tries to hit their opponent on the head with a toy hammer, while the loser tries to protect their head with a helmet. I was fascinated with the importance of this game in Japanese culture, as it was used in daily life to decide between a conflict of opinions or interests. Here, we play with a demon to settle a wager.
Love and War was a personal challenge to develop a game from the ground up, meaning I took responsibility for creating the sprites and implementing real-world pacing from Rock, and Paper Scissors while trying to incorporate new mechanics and features. Furthermore, I aimed to script a lifelike AI opponent, that attacks and defends at faster rates if they are losing by a margin of 3 points, to keep gameplay dynamic and smooth. Through playtesting, I also was able to make improvements on the difficulty level and clarity of the gameplay, since its rules are not necessarily intuitive.
Gameplay
Love and War is an action arcade game, where players are pitted against their devilish partner in an intense game of Janken or Japanese Rock, Paper, Scissors. Try to beat the AI, as it adjusts its intensity to attack and defend with the hammer and helmet at alarming rates!
How its played
When in the losing state, players then enter an almost duel-like game where they must put the helmet on their sprite's head before they are hit by the enemy. This prevents the opponent from earning an extra point.
Replayability
There is a very tried and true synergy between the rock, paper, scissors mechanic and the dueling mechanic allowing for a quick, fun, and straightforward gameplay loop. Play against the AI and notice how often you want to keep playing against his moveset!
Win
The win state also features unique expressions and a victory here adds a point to your score. Now you must prepare to attack!
Loss state includes changing expressions and cues as to what the next step is. The enemy gains one point and you must prepare to defend!