Spring 2024
KiD and the DreamNapper
Solo
Made in Godot
Take Back Your Dreams
KiD and the Dreamnapper, takes you back to a simpler time in life as well as gaming, with cute cartoon graphics, a simple interface, and replayability. For this project, I set out to make a demo for my game concept of KiD and the Dreamnapper, showing off the visual style and mechanics for a fuller release in the future. I will do this by creating and designing one stage, ending with a stage boss. The game takes inspiration from the Klonoa and Kirby series, something simple yet complex with many ways to tackle the challenges ahead. The main mechanic in this game is that you can lift and use your enemies to hit switches, defeat monsters, and extend your jump higher. With this ability, the player has many ways to tackle the stage and can find a secret path with extra goodies like health items. I want people to be able to grasp the game and enjoy the visuals and feel. I’m not making fine art or something revolutionary, I’m making a game inspired by the games that I love.
The Story of KiD Starts Here
Welcome to the world of KiD, a small child whose carefree nature and good heart somehow always have them end up on these strange but wacky adventures, in Dreamnapper, feel like you have a child's imagination again, with colorful and zany aesthetics. KiD is a child and they love adventures, this game is just one of them when Kid’s sleepy dreams get stolen by the evil Dreamnapper. KiD’s early stories aren’t very serious and have a child-like wonder to them when described, like getting their dreams back or fighting off monster muffins, even in their main big adventure, KiD and the Monsters, KiD still sees the fun of the dark situation making friends with a variety of different people and creatures.
You can easily see these themes and ideas, through the style of my artwork. It’s filled with these bright colors and loose forms. The style also takes much inspiration from my childhood media that I watched, with KiD being inspired by my thoughts and feelings as a child. Another way people will see the theme of child-like wonder is through Character Design, while style is one thing what they look like is another. I plan many of the designs to be silly or something that could have been drawn by a child, especially since this does take place in a dream kingdom, it would only make sense that its inhabitants take shape from the child’s imagination. With a 2000s-era style and Child-like designs, I hope that this game will also remind the player of maybe your childhood memories. I just want people to have a good time and maybe even make them smile
Check out the demo here:
