CROCK LAND 64

Check out Crock Land on My Twitter!
I post semi-regular updates on the development there.

Crock Land 64 is a solo project I started in the Summer of 2021. My initial goal for this game was to create an experience that was simply fun to run around in. I took heavy inspiration from the 3D Mario games in this regard. In those games, the goals set by the designers are fun to accomplish but it is also engaging to simply interact with the movement sytems they have constructed. I spent a couple of months at least fine tuning the movements of my main character, Crock and personally feel as though I've accomplished my initial goal.

Crock Land Title — The title screen of the game

I am developing Crock Land 64 entirely on my own. I am using the Unity game engine and writing all of the code for it in C#. All of the models and animations are made by me using Blender. I make my textures in GIMP and when I do not create a texture, I download images licensed with the Creative Commons Zero (CC0) license. I have also made an effort to get better at sound design and music composition for this game. I download sounds with the CC0 license and I compose the music using REAPER.

Crock Land 64 is a 3D adaptation of a previous 2D project of mine I was developing that took direct inspiration from Nintendo's Wario Land series of games. The main design idea I found interesting is that, when you are hit by an enemy, you don't take damage but instead change forms that alter your movements that then facilitate solving different puzzles. For example, you are squished by a boulder, but then you can slip through low passageways and float slowly to the ground. I have begun to incorporate this into Crock Land 64 in ways that are reminiscent of the games I'm drawing inspiration from both because I enjoy the concept and also because I don't see many games trying this idea.

Crock in Ghost Form — Two of the transformations in the game, ghost and stone forms

Crock in Stone Form — Two of the transformations in the game, ghost and stone forms

The art style I am using is heavily inspired by the Nintendo 64. I very much enjoy shader programming and logic and I have done a lot of research in order to be as authentic to the graphical capabilities of the Nintendo 64 as possible. This includes limiting my texture sizes to 64x64 pixels in most cases, greatly limiting the polygon count of my models, writing shaders that take strong advantage of the vertex color attribute of the models, and even limiting my screen resolution and framerate to more closely match the specifications of the Nintendo 64.

This project is a learning opportunity for me in several areas. Throughout its development I am teaching myself how to structure code, how to interface with Unity's systems, better ways to model, texture, and animate, better level design, better sound design, and how to compose music. I also wish to see this project become a fully fledged game at some point.

As of now, I am working hard on completing a playable portion of the game that can be released as a demo. When I finish that, I will put it here for you to download and play!