Scralbum: Bite Size is a short 2D story-based game with (somewhat) simple puzzle mechanics.

Play as two different characters as you progress through their equally different lives. You can interact or collect objects, and talk to different NPCs.

Controls:

• AD/Left and Right Arrow Keys  =  Move
• E  =  Interact
• Esc  =  Pause Game

(If the game is running slow for you, try turning on hardware acceleration.)

Background

I started this project somewhere back in September 2023. If you've read my first blog posts about it, this was originally going to be a top-down game. And this was due to me being heavily inspired by the simple yet visually fantastic The Wild at Heart by Moonlight Kids.

But around the start of October, I've decided to create a new project file and redo the entire demo from scratch. This time, it was going to be a 2D side-scroller (without the platforming). I've done this because I realized that working with the top-down perspective became way too complicated for someone who's still more or less an amateur game developer, especially when animating the characters.

When I switched to the side-scroller perspective, I was more comfortable with it since I had much less to worry about whenever I tested and debugged the game.

Content

Let me just say it upfront, the content is this demo is not extensive. There's not much you should expect.

I've tried my best to implement a puzzle into the game's story-focused flow, and even then, I still don't think I did it in a way that makes perfect sense. But at least I managed to get it working properly.

If you do end up thinking that the gameplay doesn't feel like actual gameplay, I completely understand. One of my main focuses for this demo has always been the storytelling.

Story

I've always loved stories. And after reading many different genres, I've realized that simple, down-to-earth stories are the ones that I enjoy the most. (Weird, I know.)

One of the main inspirations for this demo's story is Svetlana Chmakova's Awkward. At first, I was interested by the art style. But after reading a sneak peek of it, I became more interested in the story. I liked it because it was so simple: Girl meets boy, people misinterpret and tease her, she pushes him away, and tries her best to reconcile afterwards. I personally applaud Chmakova for managing to make a good story out of that simple synopsis.

After a couple of back-and-forth conceptualizing, I've settled on my short story's flow. I wanted it to focus on only two characters. And since this is a demo, I wanted it to end in a way that could act as a potential teaser for a continuation. So I did just that. The results were two young individuals: Jake and Scout.

• Jake is a very well-rounded and calm guy. He's quite academically proficient, always sees the good in everyone, and rarely criticizes others.
• Scout is more or less the opposite. She's also academically proficient, but quite apprehensive towards others (even her own family). She does have a caring and respectful side to her though, if she's in a good mood.

I've spent many hours trying my best to develop these two characters in order to make them three-dimensional.

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Overall, this demo took approximately 7 months (if you don't count the time when it was originally a top-down game) to complete. And I'm honestly quite happy that I was able to do so. Sure, the game itself may be underwhelming, but I'm just thankful that I was able to fulfill my main objectives with it.

If this were to be a full-fledged game, it would look entirely different. I'm not just talking about the visuals, but also the core gameplay features. The only thing that wouldn't change is the story. 

Thank you so much for having the time to play my demo, and I hope and pray that this will continue to help others realize that video games can be a great way to tell stories that will provide useful life lessons for the player. I sure have.

God bless.