EFO

EFO is a 2D side scroller where the player uses telekinesis to solve platforming puzzles within a time limit. It was made using a custom engine, built from scratch by our programming team.

This was a group academic project lasting from Sept 2020 to April 2021. I was the Design Lead on the project. Notably, the entire game was made remotely, as it took place during the 2020 Pandemic.

Download on Steam

Design Lead

I was one of only two designers on this team, which meant wearing a lot of hats as we worked together to make this game. Communication between the Design, Art, and Programming departments was critical, especially because our entire team was remote. While challenging at times, this also had a number of benefits, as a lot of communication that might have been verbal only in an office was instead written down in emails and Discord messages, allowing people to review later and stay on the same page.

I learned a lot about communicating ideas with people who think differently than I do, as well as the importance of gaining inspiration from many different places and people.

Drastic Changes

Midway through the project, we lost our art team. This was a serious problem, as one of the main focuses of our game was the artwork. We were fortunate enough that what they had done up to that point was complete enough to make our game, but the inability to get new assets for new game features was a serious blow.

We restructured our goals and expectations, finding ways to use our existing resources creatively. We focused on the game play, particularly the level design, and pressed on. We did need a few new art assets for our special effects system (which wasn't fully implemented until after our artists left), but they were simple and I was able to make them myself.