Today’s all about the concept at the heart of Shadow Puppeteer.
Simply put, “Shadow Puppeteer” is the story of a boy and his shadow, who once separated have to learn to work together by manipulating light and darkness.
The game is centered around three major gameplay elements:
- Platforming, exploration and puzzle-solving
- Understanding and manipulating three different kinds of light sources
- Mastering the use of three shadow tools, referred to as «stencils»
What we have focused on, to set the game apart, is the mix between 2D and 3D gameplay, and in relation to that, the dependency between the players. We were tired of co-op games where one player can do everything, and the other just tags along. So while there are definite similarities between the characters, their abilities and limitations differ.
As a result, one of our biggest challenges with this game has been to balance the players. This is something that we’ll probably go into more detail on when we talk about designing a level. But it was important for us that they don’t feel like the «Hero» and the «Sidekick».
For after all, who are we to say that people are more important than their shadows?
