Blink

[PROTOTYPE]

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Blink is an experiment to bridge the gap between grid-like discrete movement and traditional platforming design. Escape the limits of gravity with the ability to blink and dash, drawing geometrical and angular patterns through space to overcome obstacles.

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How to play :

- A to move left
- D to move right
- Space to jump
- Click and hold to slow down time
- Drag the mouse slightly while holding it down to design the shape of your dash
- Alt-F4 to quit the game (if you downloaded the game on Windows)

Try and dash through gaps and objects to progress and discover secrets

Optional controls :

- Shift to try a different dash design sequence
- Ctrl to toggle between 4-direction and 8-direction dashing
- Esc to teleport back to the last checkpoint (if you're stuck)

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"A platforming game about linearly ignoring gravity"

I wanted to make a platforming game with heavy influences coming directly from minimalism. Aside from the general aestetics and the presenation, Blink features minimalism in the movement of the player character. 

Moving left and right and jumping with a traditional control scheme make up the first interactions players are likely to experience in this game. If they click down, however, they will experience what I experimented with through this prototype. 

Many parts of the game’s level layouts are inaccessible without the use of a special mechanic. By slowing down the movement of the character with a click, players can prepare a dash, drawing geometrical and angular patterns through space to overcome obstacles. 

My main experiment through this project was with discretization. The discretization of 2D movement, to be precise. By integrating the possibility of horizontal and vertical movement that isn’t continuous, I was able to explore areas of the design space of platforming games that I couldn’t otherwise. The result is a blend between traditional platforming obstacles, grid-based puzzles and pattern-matching challenges.