No Strings Attached
SPRING 2020
Overview
No Strings Attached is a side-scrolling puzzle platformer intended for a player of any identity aged 12 and up. It originated from Cornell University’s Intro to Game Development course CS3152. Within one semester, a team of 4 developers and 4 designers developed the desktop game from start to finish. Due to COVID-19, the collaboration switched to remote since mid-March.
Tools
Figma, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, Procreate
Team Composition
4 Designers & 4 developers
My Roles
Design Lead & UX Designer
The Game Trailer
High Thematic Statement
They say that the gods tie an invisible red thread between the fingers of those who are soulmates. However, Robin is not so fortunate. Born with a severed red string of fate, Robin embarks on an adventure to fulfill a task the gods did not: create their soulmate. By trampolining off of others’ strings to catapult through the air or cutting them to create rope swings off of which Robin can soar, Robin treks through the world in search of skeins of magical red yarn to finally fashion together a soulmate of their own.
Features
Cut other couples’ strings with your trusty magical scissor
Trampoline on couples’ strings to gain height
Drag platforms by using your string
Tightrope-walk along taut strings
Collect materials to create your yarn soulmate
Swing by connecting your string to disconnected couples
Below is a quick start guide I designed for the game.
A Quick Start Guide For The Game.
Concept Art
UX Design
During the development of the game, I collaborated with Chris, another UX designer, to create all of the user flow and game interfaces.
Below are some of the UI we designed:
We especially focused on building a reward system. Since the goal of the game is to help Robin collect all the necessary materials, such as knitting needles and yarns, for knitting a doll soulmate, we decided to weave that into our system.
On each level, there is a progress indicator on the top left corner. Players have to collect all collectibles at each level in order to progress. The ordering of the collectibles follows the actual knitting process. The fundamental materials, including knitting needles, yarns, and threads, come first. Decorative materials such as buttons appear during the last few levels of the game.
After players successfully completed a level, there will be a screen showing encouraging words as well as the progress toward knitting Robin’s soulmate. The basket next to Robin on the screen will change its content as players progress.
Art: Environments & Tiles
Besides UX/UI design, I also contributed art assets to environment and tile designs.
Below are 2 environments and 4 tiles I developed on Procreate:
Environments: City and Forest
the city environment
the forest environment
Tiles
How They Look in the Game
Branding
Logos
Since cutting was one of the main features in the game, I decided to integrate the scissor element into the logo design. The text is slightly slanted to convey movement. the folklore, red string of fate
I designed a primary logo and a secondary logo in order to achieve the best visual effect under any circumstances.
The primary logo.
The secondary logo.
Cutscenes
In order to give more context to the story and the player character’s intentions, I collaborated with the other character designer Lily to create and draw cutscenes. Cutscenes are rendered for the transition between environments to show the progress in creating the yarn soulmate, for the beginning, and for post-game.
Opening and Transitional Cutscenes
Ending Cutscenes
