Overview

G&H is our adaptation of the classic German Fairy Tale. In this game, two players play as Gretel and Hansel, trapped in the Witch’s house while trying to escape. The third player plays as the witch, who is hunting down G&H. Initially we were focusing on a narrative heavy as well as puzzle heavy game, with a multitude of different mechanics such as hiding in the closets, or saving each other from bring thrown into the furnace by the witch, etc. We had to cut a lot of that for time’s sake, and instead the game’s focus became the “chase” between Gretel/Hansel and the witch.

Playtesting Feedback

When we playtested in class, we didn’t really have a lot to show so the focus was many on if the control made sense to the players, and we had the problem that the witch was too fast, initially we had Hansel being slower than Gretel, and the playtest was not very ideal because during a chase it’s almost guaranteed that Hansel would be caught by the witch, so we adjusted the speed of all the characters that G and H are the same speed and the witch being slower than them.

We didn’t have any additional playtest since the game requires two monitors, three players and controllers to play. But we thought we’d include some feedbacks from the presentation here.

The biggest takeaway is that the witch is too op, that it can teleport all the time and there is no way for the other players to counter the witch’s attacks, this is good feedback, we agree that adding these mechanics would make the gameplay more dynamic.

Another feedback that we really enjoy is adding some level of randomization so there’s more replay-ability, otherwise an experienced player would be able to beat the game really quick.

Playtest during class : 

 It was unexpected that the game flow went really fast and each game ended in a minute. Players did not get to explore the environment within the space more but focused more on trying to escape / capture other players. There are “notification scenes” that we need to add in order to notify the witch or another player if they are dead or have escaped the house. Players brought up the idea of randomizing either objects, rooms or even mechanics of the room can allow players to have more flexibility on solving the puzzle and make the game more dynamic in a way that confuses the player. Players questioned if it was possible to have all players completing a task to create more time constraint before the witch needs to catch Gretel and Hansel while Gretal and Hansel trying to figure out how to escape exploring the actual space. And what are ways Gretel and Hansel can avoid the witch, given clues on when the witch is coming so players can react, how can Gretel and Hansel struggle and save each other etc. Someone suggests maybe a lighting effect and sounds coming from the witch when the witch is approaching Gretel and Hansel in a certain amount of distance before the witch can attack. There is also feedback on how to keep all three players more engaged, a few mechanics on how to make a pause on the camera teleporter, etc. Some players loved the witch’s power that it fits within the character but some think the witch has too much power. Also trying to include maybe a mini map or something that players can tell the location and better navigate through the space. Extra Ui signs and animations can be included to make it clear to players on what key to press on the joystick although it was more self-explementary. Lastly, there are audio/sound effects missing from the game that players suggested to maybe have it on the witch so it won’t confuse any player while playing on displayed screens.

Overall, most of the feedback we received overlapped with our original ideas on how to improve this game better and problems of Gretel and Hansel fighting the witch. This depicts that it was a successful game overall since every player understood the basic concept and mechanics of the game very well.

Development Docs

- some notes on level design

- some animation spreadsheets

-in engine screenshots