'Mouse Journey'

Duration: May 2014-September 2014
Role: Lead Game Designer
Team Size: 13 Full-Time, 5 Part-Time

'Mouse Journey' is the public name* of a game project currently in use for marketing an unannounced Hollywood film project slated for filming in Scotland, London, and India. The project was commissioned to serve as part of a larger transmedia project alongside smaller game apps, and comic books. The project was created by four programmers, four artists, a part-time sound designer, a part-time animator, a producer, three part-time game designers, and four full-time game designers - each multi-person team was overseen by a lead, and I functioned as Lead Game Designer for the project. During this project I was responsible for overseeing the design as a whole, and the management of the design team, including assigning and organising tasks, and managing the QA process (including playtesting sessions); I was also responsible for the design and maintenance of multiple mechanics and consistency across the UI; alongside my role of meeting with and communicating with the client.

'Mouse Journey' is a stealth-platforming game inspired by more mature games (such as Metal Gear Solid) delivering an experience more suitable for a younger target audience. The player's objective is to navigate through the levels whilst avoiding predatory (from his point of view) creatures such as rats and cats. Throughout these levels the playable character can use his limited understanding of English to overhear information and solve puzzles. The game also features educational collectibles giving information about the history and geography of the areas significant to the story and the player's adventure.

The project was created using Unreal Development Kit (based on Unreal Engine 3) with the final objective being an executable PC-ready game (with a focus on high-quality graphics) for use at client presentations.

*Note: the name 'Mouse Journey' is not used in the full branded version.

Gallery

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Gameplay Trailer

The game, in the form of 'Mouse Journey', a de-branded version of the game, was shown at Dare Protoplay 2014, an event which occurred in the Caird Hall, Dundee. The game was available to play at two stations and a third station featured a rolling trailer that displayed elements of gameplay as a sort of 'eye-catch' to attract and encourage players to play the game. As with the screenshots above, since the trailer was shown at Protoplay, the trailer is free to be shown on this page:

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