Smashout

Project for Minimalist Game Design class, Spring 2017.  Initial prototype made by myself, expanded version by me, Kenan Millet, Brandan Sankar, & Peter Pak. Music composition by Graham Southern.

Smashout is a 2-player competitive, minimalist arena fighter where the field of play is constantly changing. 

Players must avoid falling off the bottom of the screen while trying to knock their opponent down. Players can dash quickly in any direction in the air, but will expend their dash in doing so. A player's dash is refreshed upon touching any surface - a platform, or another player. Dashing into the opponent will stun them and knock them away. The platforms on the playfield are destroyed if a player dashes into them, giving the player a boost of momentum. They will also degrade as the players land on them normally. Yellow power-up blocks are also spread around the stage, giving a player a boost in size and strength if they hit them. 

The idea behind this game was to create a minimalist fighting game where the stage was in constant flux, meaning decisions must be made in new contexts every moment. The destruction of the stage also leads the game naturally towards a conclusion, and increases the drama as fewer and fewer platforms are left.

Game is set up to be played with XBox controllers, but PS controllers should also work, just with different mappings.