LUA —Through the colors of grief
An ambitious project
As part of my end-of-year project, I have made the exciting decision to embark on the development of a captivating game, using Game Maker Studio 2. With an ambitious vision in mind, I dedicated 6 months of this year to crafting an immersive gaming experience from scratch. Here is how everything went down:
The beginning
To bring this project to life, I fully invested myself in the process of not only designing and coding the game mechanics but also dedicating considerable time and effort to the creation of all the necessary assets. From the captivating visual elements, including characters, environments, and animations, to the intricate audio components, such as sound effects and a meticulously composed soundtrack, every aspect is being carefully crafted to ensure a cohesive and enchanting gameplay experience.
A Design System
I began by initiating the design system for the landing page. By putting into practice everything I have learned during my three-month internship, I started by creating a Figma file, divided into several categories.
Organizing my workspace in this way allows me to stay organized and efficiently create all my components, enabling me to reuse them in the designs.
The Logo
After setting everything up, I started with the creation of a logo. I knew I wanted something colorful, almost childlike, to evoke a playful and cheerful aspect.
I went through several design stages, drawing inspiration from various existing assets. After several attempts that didn’t satisfy me, I finally found contentment with the following logo:
I couldn’t find a font that matched what I had in mind; something almost hand-drawn, slightly imperfect but still legible. So, I decided to draw the logo myself.
Typography
For the game itself, I created my own typography to have completely original assets. But for the landing page, I decided to use open-source fonts from Google Fonts. Not only does this save me time in terms of coding, but when creating my font, I only included 95 characters — only those I would be using in the game’s development. Many special characters are missing, and I wanted to avoid any complications.
The colors
To choose the color palette, I used blue and mauve colors as a base. I wanted to maintain the mysterious and calm atmosphere of the game. Then I found two contrasting colors that worked well, and I also created a range of grays.
The Game
The Menu
The main screen contains the logo and a multiple option menu:
The Story and Gameplay
Lua is a 2D narrative game that delves into the depths of human emotions. The player takes on the role of a young girl named Lua who undergoes the stages of grief following a tragic event.
As Lua navigates through the enchanting landscapes of her world, she encounters a series of unique characters, each representing a distinct stage of grief. These characters embody denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance — each personifying a facet of her emotional journey. Through these encounters, Lua gains insights into her own emotions, gradually revealing the truth behind her loss.
Lua provides players with an opportunity to reflect on their own emotions and the universal themes of loss and acceptance.
The Design
The game’s pixel art style creates a calm and nostalgic atmosphere, evoking both fantasy and melancholy. The soundtrack has been composed exclusively for this project, aiming to immerse players further into Lua’s emotional journey.
Each character has their own colors and unique music.
The Characters
Mila
Personifying denial, Mila is a vibrant character radiating excessive cheerfulness. She possesses an optimism that veils the painful truth she refuses to acknowledge.
Mila effortlessly captivates those she encounters. Her positivity acts as a protective shield, keeping reality at a distance and concealing the emotions hidden beneath the surface.
The character design of Mila, with a whimsical blend of pink tones, evokes a sense of innocence and naivety. This visual representation of her emotional state starkly contrasts with the deeper emotions she strives to suppress.
Through interactions with Mila, players discover the complexities of denial and the profound impact it can have on one’s perception of reality.
Ruby
Personifying the challenging stage of anger, Ruby highlights the raw and powerful emotions that reside within. Ruby is adorned in dominant shades of red. Her presence compels players to explore the depths of their own anger and its significance in the grieving process.
Ruby serves as a powerful reminder that anger, when harnessed and understood, can be a catalyst for change and growth.
Isabelle
Representing bargaining, Isabelle is a character characterized by empathy and compassion. Conceptualized in shades of green, she navigates the stages of grief through the prism of negotiation and compromise. Her interactions and decisions reflect the delicate balance between hope and despair as players explore the profound meaning of negotiation in the healing process.
Azura
Azura personifies depression, emanating an aura of melancholy. She carries a heavy heart and displays a contemplative attitude. Grief and introspection are expressed through her dialogues, weighing down the emotions of this stage.
The character design of Azura visually captures her emotional state through its blue hues.
Lua
The protagonist embodies acceptance. As players guide Lua through the stages of grief, her transformative journey reflects the power of acceptance to navigate loss and find inner peace.
Adorned in shades of purple, Lua’s character design captures her serene and introspective nature.
Final Thoughts
Overall, I am pleased with what I accomplished in a few months. This project has evoked a range of different emotions in me.
Inspired by real life-changing events, Lua is a project that holds great personal significance. I poured into it everything I felt during my own experience with grief.
Of course, this topic remains unique to each person, and not everyone may resonate with all the characters. Despite the research I conducted and the questions asked to people around me, it is impossible to capture grief as a universal experience because, although we have all experienced it — or will experience it — each person reacts in their own way based on their own life, surroundings, and emotional state.
Lua is, above all, one way among many to express the various emotions experienced during the stages of grief.
I am happy to have successfully learned to develop a game, and I am excited to see where this takes me in the future.
