Gecko (Prototype)

Welcome to my very first game project, created as part of my Bachelor's thesis. This 2D narrative-driven platformer, developed entirely using Unity, blends gameplay with storytelling, aiming to deliver a heartfelt journey through movement, exploration, and environmental storytelling. All assets used in this game are sourced from Itch.io and used strictly for educational and demonstration purposes.  

In this platformer, players control a nimble protagonist equipped with progressively unlockable abilities that enhance mobility and combat. Your objective is to traverse atmospheric levels, overcome environmental challenges, and uncover pieces of the story from faraway lands.

1. Core Mechanics:

• Movement & Platforming: The player can run, jump, wall climb, and wall grab by default, allowing vertical and horizontal exploration of the world.
• Grappling Hook: Used to swing across gaps and reach hard-to-access areas, encouraging creative traversal.
• Dash: Enables fast 8-directional movement in mid-air or on the ground, useful for avoiding hazards and solving movement puzzles.
• Ranged Attack: Provides a way to interact with enemies, introducing light combat elements.

 

2. Game Mechanics

Saving/Loading

The game features Save & Load Function. Most of the times, upon entering a new room, the game will auto-save. To continue or there are bugs that prevent the player from progressing, they can load from the pause menu.

Dialogue Function

Gecko also features a simple Dialogue Function, allowing the player to converse with other NPCs.

Inspired by Celeste, the player has no health bar, meaning that upon death they will only have to redo the room.

Mini-Boss Battle

The Mini-Boss comprises of 3 Witches. They share the same health pool and to progress to the next stages, the player must hit them in that stage.

3. Developer’s Note

At first the game was developed solely (in about 4 months or so) for academic and portfolio purposes as a Bachelor’s thesis project. Since I recently graduated, I figured this could be useful for others (mostly because I am quite proud of it/All of the assets are from itch).

This project is heavily inspired by Celeste, particularly its precise movement, storytelling, and its balance between difficulty and flow. I aimed to capture a similar feeling of progression—both in skill and in story—through a stripped-down but focused platformer experience with a little bit of twist.  

I am aware there are a few bugs present but it is out of my ability. If you can help then I would greatly appreciate it.

4. Thank You Note

This project may not have worked properly if not for Sasquatch B Studios, ChristTutorials and others. His videos have been really helpful for me. And his explanation is in-depth as well. I highly recommend starting devs like myself to check him out. He really knows his stuff.

https://www.youtube.com/@sasquatchbgames 

https://www.youtube.com/@ChrisTutorialsYT

l'd really appreciate it if you guys can give constructive criticisms about the Story and other elements. As this is one of my first Game-related creative project. I would love to get some feedbacks and/or how the Story can progress further. Thanks in advance !

All visual, and UI assets used were downloaded from Itch.io under free or permissive licenses. Audio were taken from Freesound.org under free or permissive licenses. Proper credits to the respective creators will be acknowledged in the Github page. 

Thank you and Happy Playing!