Aug 2, 2010

[Together]


So... it's been 8 months since my last post (D:). What's happened since then? Most importantly, I packed up my life and moved out west to pursue professional videogame development! I'm currently happily employed at Namco Networks as a 3D Artist, working on the next great games for iPhone and iPad. It's been pretty exciting these past few months and I've created a lot more artwork than I thought possible. The only bad news is that I can't show it here, and probably never will be able to, so just trust me that I'm drawing lots of pretty pictures :]

But let's get to more recent news! If you recall my Flash game competition entry from last Fall, then you may be excited to hear that I spent the last two months working on my latest game (pictured above), which is available to play (and vote on) at JayIsGames.com. This competition's theme was "sandbox", which I took the liberty to tear apart and interpret as I saw fit. The resulting game that came out is something I'd been meaning to make for years, but finally got the chance to do.

It was super fun to work on this one, especially since there was so much traditional animation involved, including a 20 second intro cinematic. There are lots of small details to be seen in the characters and world, so hopefully people don't mind squinting to see all the little things going on :]

To play my game, [Together], simply click here!

There's a 3-week voting period at first, so if you happen to like what you see, don't be shy to let the world know. There are a bunch of great entries from all over the world, so be sure to check out how everyone incorporated the theme!

Below are various screenshots from my entry. Since there's so little to do in the game, these few shots are technically major spoilers, so you might want to play the game first and get the experience the right way. On the other hand, there's a lot that's missed when the game is in motion, so I'd recommend taking a look at these after playing through. Enjoy!






And for anyone who came here looking for clues to the ending of the game (I know you're reading this), let me just say I'm glad that you've taken an interest in knowing the unknown. I'm not going to tell you what there is to do, if anything, but I will say that giving up is probably the last thing you'd want to do, especially if you've come this far...

12 comments:

Justin said...

Not even a hint huh?
I assume it has something to do with the fact that they are no longer [Together]. Beyond that I have been unable to figure anything out.

Unknown said...

Finally found the ending. Made a playthrough video of the game if you want a look at it. Kept the ending a secret for you ;)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KW1R5INZKik

Pedro Parga said...

Found the ending, took me so much time too. Brilliant game, it made me think about real life.
Still in shock of how this game touched me.

PS: Most of the satisfaction I think came from finding the hints through all over and noticing that the game description says all there is to know ;P

Unknown said...

I opened this game more than a day ago and spent a really long time trying to chase the hearts, especially the one in the Unfathomable area.

I've been flying around at Infinity's Midpoint for more than a day now. The heart chasing really gave me a headache so I don't want to repeat that again. I'm afraid to close the game and lose progress because I don't want to give up in knowing how it ends, but I don't want to get a headache again. ^^; (I guess I'm just not good with mouse manipulation.)

Anyway, I really like this game, especially the sound effects and the music. I wonder if the background music can be download somewhere? It's really nice.

Thank you for this game! :)

Bean said...

@Justin
The community has slowly been finding the ending, whether they want to call it that or not. It's documented in the game's comments section, though I'm sure you want to find it on your own. Best of luck!

@Jonathan
Thanks for the vid. That was very cool of you :]

@OneLegged
The fun part about games is that you can incorporate outside elements that act within the game itself. For example, the description of the game doesn't start to make sense until you get to the final moments.

@Miyavi
Woah, a whole day? I wonder how many miles the boy has flown so far...
Also, I've gotten requests to post my music not only for this game, but for my previous one, "How My Grandfather Won The War". Keep an eye on my Twitter to see when I post them. Should be before the competition ends. (twitter.com/onemrbean)

Unknown said...

Hey there Bean, thank you for the reply!

I must check out your other game. This is the only one you've made that I've tried out so far.

Lol yeah. When I first started the game, only Justin and Jonathan have commented here. I change the direction he's flying to every few hours. I think I've tried all 8 directions now. (North, NE, East, SE, South, SW, West, NW) I'm desperate. XD

I don't have a twitter account here, but I'll check your site out every so often to see when you've posted them.

By the way, did you produce the music yourself? :)

Bean said...

@Miyavi

The other game I was talking about can be played here:

http://jayisgames.com/cgdc6/?gameID=6

It's actually from JayIsGames' CGDC6 last year.

And yes, I produced/composed the music that you hear in both of these games (5 tracks total).

Unknown said...

@Miyavi If you are flying around for more than 10 minutes in infinity than you are likely to be nowhere near the ending. You are actually better off restarting it at that point.

Unknown said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Unknown said...

You're very talented Bean. Looking forward to the music! :)

Okay. I followed your advice Jonathan. I started over and got a headache again from chasing the hearts and trying not to get lost. ^^;

However, I finished it this time. XD Thank you!

Anonymous said...

That was one of the most aggravating games I have ever played. The game would be fine if the monster wasn't there to make you spin around every 30 seconds. It adds nothing to the game but frustration.

shaun said...

I found your game mentioned on Bytejacker on Revision3.com. I guess I went to school with you at Ringling - I don't think we met though I remember your epic thesis. Anyhow, I wanted to say your game is beautiful and thoughtful and awesome. And the whimsy.