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Pankapu: the Dreamkeeper, an action/platformer told like a tale

Discussion in 'Works In Progress - Archive' started by Pankapu, Jun 23, 2015.

  1. Pankapu

    Pankapu

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    Howdy ho everyone!

    We are Too Kind Studio and we are working for more than a year on our game, Pankapu: the Dreamkeeper.
    It’s an action/platformer in 2D told like a tale in 7 chapters.I wanted to introduce you my game for all the fans of the 90's games, like Castelvania, Donkey Kong and even Final Fantasy!





    With Pankapu under your control, a little being created by Iketomi the God of Dreams, you will explore the colorful world of Omnia, in order to strike down the hordes of nightmare, erupting in this oneiric universe.


    Some concept arts of our games, in order to define some areas of the world of Dreams:






    Here you can find the teaser of our game, presenting the background.



    Our goal was to bring back the oldschool gameplay of the 90’s that we have grown with and to mix them with a touching and strong storytelling.


    As your adventure progress, you will customize Pankapu, assign new equipment, outfits (Aegis) and skills to perfectly fit with your style and the situations that you will encountered. You will be able to re-explore at your leisure and discover every secret of this world thanks to your new upgrades and competencies. The gameplay will be dynamic for example you will be able to switch the Aegis of PANKAPU in real time.

    Some screenshots:






    You can try our Alpha version here: http://bit.ly/PankapuAlphaDL

    Unity is the engine we are using for creating the game, for the level design we are using prefabs and some Unity Plugins, like Ferr2D and PlayMaker. For the animation we are using Spine. It was a choice that impose itself, it is user-friendly and it stay updated. You can have some example of animation that we have already done for the game:

    Pankapu with his armor Bravery:



    During his quest, Pankapu will encounter several enemies coming from the world of nightmares:

    Gelate


    Zoldate

    A Furious opponent, who will jump on you at the first sight, and crush you with his iron claws




    If you want to know more about the game Pankapu: The Dreamkeeper:
    Blog: http://www.tookindstudio.com/en/
    Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Pankapu?fref=ts
    Twitter: https://twitter.com/Pankapu
    Press Kit: http://www.tookindstudio.com/en/press-kit-en/
    IndieDBhttp://www.indiedb.com/games/pankapu-the-dreamkeeper
     
    Last edited: Apr 28, 2016
  2. Haseeb_BSAA

    Haseeb_BSAA

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    Oh my god! This looks amazing!! :D Did you make all these assets on your own? :D
     
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  3. Pankapu

    Pankapu

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    Thank you^^, we are a team of 3 so it's our graphic director GG (it's his little name^^) that done these assets himself ;)
     
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  4. Haseeb_BSAA

    Haseeb_BSAA

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    Amazing!! :) People are gonna love this game , I bet! :D Working on a team must be cool.
    I'm alone working on my 3D Platformer game :)
    Approximately when your game will be released and on which platforms?
     
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  5. zenGarden

    zenGarden

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    Graphis are gorgeous, but playing the game i find the first level empty and borring , not challenging.
    Perhaps it's intended and dangerous traps , ennemies will come later ?
    Keep the good work.
     
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  6. Pankapu

    Pankapu

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    Hey , thanks for the feedback. We are currently in Alpha, we are still working on our assets, ennemies, skills to unlock... so yes, it will be more challenging and richer soon ^^
     
  7. Pankapu

    Pankapu

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    Ahaha thanks mate, I hope so^^. Yes working in team is perfect, and it keep you motivated;).
    For the moment we are aiming the PC, but if we can go on XBOX, Playstation and WII U that would be great:D

    BTW if you have a site where I can see your game, I'm interested hé hé
     
  8. Haseeb_BSAA

    Haseeb_BSAA

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    Awesome! :D I'll also try to get a team after this project lol :D
    And nice , this will be very good on these platforms. Maybe even mobile?
    I don't have a website but I'll soon make a thread about my game , I'll pm you thread's link :) And you're welcome!
     
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  9. Pankapu

    Pankapu

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    For the moment we think that mobile platform is great, but maybe for an other game with a gameplay more adapted with this kind of devices.
     
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  10. Haseeb_BSAA

    Haseeb_BSAA

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    Oh alright , best of luck :)
     
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  11. theANMATOR2b

    theANMATOR2b

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    Hey @Pankapu
    Graphics look really great. Excellent use of contrasting vibrant colors, and the comic book style looks very clean. Love the style and story setting as well.
    Two points I'd like to make, one of which is my own personal opinion so take it as that.
    The story is very well thought out and supplies a great setting for your game world, but it seems you are really trying - a little too hard - to make the names of the world, characters, items, and such stand out and very important, and (my opinion) the names are totally forgettable, except for Aegis which is pretty common now-a-days. I think the name of the game will stick, but I can't even remember without scrolling to the top of the page right now, what letter any of the characters, places, or items you mentioned even begin with.
    May want to consider genericising the names of things just a little bit. They don't have to be totally generic, like ghost, or monster, but something less complicated. The God of Dreams really doesn't need a name. His name is the God of Dreams. :) The monster names seem alright to me though.
    Last point - the main character has some great looking concept art and the animations look very nice also. But I noticed right away the rigidity of the tuft of hair on the helmet compared to the action and concept images of the main character.
    It would be nice to see the tuft match the concept more closely and be longer and more free flowing. A couple more segments to animate the hair tuft to match more closely the concept art.

    Overall real nice looking game so far. Will definitely check out the alpha and follow.
     
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  12. zenGarden

    zenGarden

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    The hero animations are too fast , not decomposed enought, it lacks smooth movements.
    Keep progressing.
     
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  13. Randumbz

    Randumbz

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    The art direction is really great! Will this game come to consoles?
     
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  14. Pankapu

    Pankapu

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    Hey thank you all for your message.

    So first, we have changed the skin of Bravery, the scarlet armor. It will be more animated and the character will match better with the rest of the artistic direction. (the picture will arrive soon).

    Secondly: don't be confuse with all the name, it's normal at the beginning but later you will see it's really important for the background, and every name have a specific impact in the game.

    And the game will come to console but later, first we want to develop all the 7 chapters on computers and released them all on consoles.

    Otherwise here is the other news that we have:

    We are currently implementing the weapon switching system. It will give the opportunity to the player to discover and collect different equipment during his/her quest, he/she will be able to use them depending of the situation.

    We also expand the first chapter in term of graphic elements. Some new assets for the Garden are in production in order to follow our perspective to create a rich and constant universe.



    At least but not the last, we finally settled on the characteristics of Ardor, the second Aegis (Outfit acting like a job that you can switch in real time)unlockable.

    This Aegis will be based on the motion and fast damages dealing. You will riddle your enemies with your deadly arrows and move easily through the level thanks to dodge and double jumps.

    At the same time, we also designed Faith (The third Aegis) skills. We established that this Aegis will act like a support, dealing to his opponents some painful status modifications with the possibility to heal yourself during fight.

    We imagined those Aegis in a way that they are complement one another, giving you the possibility to do some ravaging combos by switching to one outfit to another.

    PANKAPU - Ardor



    PANKAPU - Faith

     
  15. DeadKenny

    DeadKenny

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    Great art man.
     
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  16. zenGarden

    zenGarden

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    That's beautifull. Any chance of a fast 2D drawing tutorial ?
     
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  17. Pankapu

    Pankapu

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    Hey, if you want we done a speed art of Djaha'rell with Ardor Aegis, maybe you will have to slow down the video, but you can see the coloration:
     
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  18. zenGarden

    zenGarden

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    Thank you :)
    I wish i had such 2D great skills.
     
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  19. Pankapu

    Pankapu

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    Hey everyone, today I wanted to share with you the music of PANKAPU. We have the chance to have a great friend, Ganaé, who's doing an awsome job for us:


    Music 01 - The Garden - Peppynière


    Music 02 - The Lush Forest - Forêt Luxuriante


    Music - Piano Version - Hanaé


    Bonus: From Ganaé's Channel,
    Pankapu Main Theme Orchestral Prototype
     
  20. Pankapu

    Pankapu

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    Howdy ho everyone!

    I wanted to share the animation of Bravery and Ardor in order to have a better understanding.

    Unity is the engine we are using for creating the game, for the level design we are using prefabs and some Unity Plugins, like Ferr2D and PlayMaker.

    For the animation we are using a new software call Spine, that animate bones. It was a choice that impose itself, it is user-friendly, cheap and it stay updated. You can have some example of animation that we have already done for the game:



    Pankapu with his armor Bravery :
    Anime Sheet




    Pankapu with his armor Ardor:
    Sprite sheet




    Ardor with bones:


    If you want to know more about the game Pankapu: The Dreamkeeper:

    Blog: http://www.tookindstudio.com/en/
    Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Pankapu?fref=ts
    Twitter: https://twitter.com/Pankapu
     
    Last edited: Aug 12, 2015
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  21. RavenOfCode

    RavenOfCode

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    This looks amazing, the art is phenomenal! :)
     
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  22. Pankapu

    Pankapu

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    Hi everyone, I wanted to introduce you the upcoming villain of Pankapu, Gangreyn: the Dreameater


    “Once upon a time, in the land of Hya’ma
    A Soulless beast, High Lord of the night
    Waiting patiently into Darkness for the fight
    To unleash his swarm for the glory of Yne’ska”
    Chronicles of Omnia

    The master of nightmares reveals himself!

    Like every major villain, Gangreyn has his theme. A big thank you to our dear friend Ganaé who worked on this musical masterpiece:





    Lord of Hya’ma, Gangreyn is an incarnated nightmare, born from the Darkness. He delights seeding fears into living beings, feeding himself from their deepest anxieties in order to grow the number of his brothers and spread his influence across the Boreal Veil.

    Obsessed by a consuming love for his mother, Yne’ska the Lady in Black, Gangreyn is in perpetual seek for recognition. He forced himself to invade the world of Humans in order to establish the supremacy of his kind in all Omnia.



    Our first concept (that you can see above), was describing an armored faceless, like our dear Pankapu (he is his antagonist after all !). The main idea, which will remain in the final version, was that Gangreyn could materialize shadows with the power of his will.


    We wanted him as a sly and theatrical character. Such a jester who’s in prey to hatred, he is even more dangerous than unpredictable and hide himself behind an insane smile.

    At the end, Gangreyn is built around the opposition of chiaroscuro with vivid and disturbing tints. In fact he is an emotional changing being, twisted between two tendencies – this contrast highlights his tempestuous nature. Furthermore, his flames and Machiavellian smile gives prominence to the theatrical temper of this ultimate nemesis.


    You are now familiarized with our Evil shadow that will devour your sweetest dreams until the last drop…

    Stay tuned, and see you soon in the World of Dreams!​
     
  23. zenGarden

    zenGarden

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    Great work.
    You are very talented on the 2D art side, the character design is really good.
    But the character animations are too fast , not smooth , it is like some Street fighter running on Snes compared to better animations other games do like Street Fighter 3 on arcade :rolleyes:
    But perhaps it is a choice on your side ?
     
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  24. antislash

    antislash

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    very nice one, not my style but i can admire this quality work very much.
     
  25. Pankapu

    Pankapu

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    Hi thank you for you lovely word. Indeed I got some problems while uploading my gif, I try to make them via photoshop now. It should have a better frame rate ;)

    Actually it is good introduction of what I wanted to share with you. We just uploaded a new Alpha on our Kickstarter page, so if you want to try the controls in order to make your own idea about the animation and gameplay you are welcome ^^: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/tookindstudio/pankapu-the-dreamkeeper

    At the same time we done a new trailer, with the voice of Kai Kennedy, the voice actor of Beowulf in Skull Girl:



    So yes, we are on Kickstarter. We started the campaign 2 weeks ago with the support of Square Enix collective.


    We already reached 65% and we have been greenlit. That's a great adventure, really stressful, but seeing everyday new backers from all around the world supporting your project is priceless.



    I hope you will like this new update, I have way more information on the Kickstarter page, but I didn't wanted to do just a copy and paste. So if you want to know more don't hesitate to come. We really need your help during this stressful periode so feel free to share our Kickstarter and spreading the word about Pankapu. We are nothing without you :oops:


    We love you all!




    https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/tookindstudio/pankapu-the-dreamkeeper
     
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  26. Pankapu

    Pankapu

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    Hello guys!Thank you for the nice comments! :)
    You now know quite a lot about the gameplay, and the characters, so I was thinking : maybe I could tell you more about the story ? ;)
    As we spoke before, story is a very important part of the game to us. Indeed, Pankapu is to be told like a tale. And like every tale, we want the player to grow up as he plays it. Thus, the gameplay will support the story in a strong way.

    Djaha’Rell is a child whose nights are regularly troubled by nightmares. In order to overcome his fears, his father tells him the story of Pankapu, the Dreamkeeper. The player is then invited to live the adventures of the tiny warrior through the eyes of Djaha'Rell.



    Djaha'Rell​

    The game is a projection of Djaha’Rell’s mind, and it all takes place inside this imaginary world. In this way, most of the characters and situations come from his troubled past, and the player, if he/she is a little bit curious, will find the parallel between these two stories.

    This mise en abyme will settle a dual narration. The young player will then follow the adventures of Pankapu, as he would in a traditional tale, while the more mature ones will read between the lines and discover the tragic story of Djaha’Rell, and how he overcomes his trauma.

    Djaha'Rell's story is dark and tragic...


    ...While Pankapu has a more light-hearted and epic story !


    All of this sounds curious, doesn't it ? ;)You'll have to play the game to lift the veil on those mysteries!
    See you next time!
     
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  27. Pankapu

    Pankapu

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    Hello everyone!
    As you may know, Pankapu is a 2D action/platformer game. It also has some role play elements in it. This might sound confusing, so we thought : why not talk about the gameplay ?
    Pankapu: the Dreamkeeper is mixing platformer, action and role play. The goal of the gameplay is to be dynamic with a clear understanding of the pattern in order to immerse you directly into the action.




    As the adventure progresses, you will be able to customize Pankapu, to give him new equipment, outfits and skills that perfectly fit with style and match the situations you will encounter.




    During his quest Pankapu will bear different Aegis. Each one acting like a specialization and switchable in real time, fully changing the skills and weapons of our hero.




    Every Aegis has a skill tree that can be upgraded to give new powers. These abilities will be unlock as you (re)explore the levels. This system is called Nebula.



    All the different levels that you will go through are nonlinear and can be re-explored as much as you want. With the help of your new powers, new paths will appears, allowing you to find hidden secrets all over Omnia. Moreover, this is how you will find fragments of Djaha’Rell’s lost memory and discover all the mysteries surrounding his life.






    See you next time, we love you all !
     
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  28. zenGarden

    zenGarden

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    Seeing your game progress , the game looks good.
    There is only one point not so great, the main plane where the players walk on , jump on platforms, it looks empty and repetitive , it doesn't have enough 2D assets variations, we only find one ennemy. Also i expect climbing specific walls, traps, lava for example from a platformer.
    And something new about levels or gameplay not seen elsewhere.
    If you ake a look at Rayman , you will see many details on the floor and lot of variation and assets to not look too repetitive level.
    www.youtube.com/watch?v=juxp3poxvU0
     
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  29. Pankapu

    Pankapu

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    Hello zenGarden!
    Thanks for the comments and the feedback. Don't worry, this version that you have tried is just the alpha version, there will be lots of improvements in the final version :)
    The alpha version is essentially here to test the gameplay basis and the graphics :)
     
  30. Pankapu

    Pankapu

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    Helloooooo we're back ! And this time, we have news abouuut ENVIRONMENTS! Today, we're going to present you two new environments that will conclude the first chapter of Pankapu : The Dreamkeeper.


    The Mudjin Pound:


    Deep down inside the fast Lush Forest you can find the Mudjin Pound; Settled in a copse, where the Anima flows wanders through the forest small inhabitants' homes. Formerly peaceful and full of live, a feeling of fear dominates this place of quietness after the nightmares' invasion, forcing the Mudjins to escape their home.


    For this area's creation, I'm going to let GG, our art director, present you his committed position.

    1. The method





    First of all, let's talk about the technical aspects. I essentially work on Saï, a painting software that I've fallen in love with, coupled with my brand new Cintiq 13HD, which has replaced my good old Intuos Wacom (no mercy! Given the time that I save on illustrations).


    Once my assets are over, I put the final result on Photoshop, to carry out the last adjustments and boost up the light/contrast if the finish is too dull or too dark.

    As for the parallaxes (background's layer in the game that moves in parallel of the scrolling, well seen, huh ?), I use Krita, an open source painting software, so that I can correctly complete my textures via an extremely practical specific tool (W shortcut to your friends).

    Here is a small video of one of our previous live arts to show you Saï (without the Krita wrapping up, unfortunately).





    2. Area Concept


    Here you can find the first concept that I had realized for the Mudjin Pound:





    Its name was Lumen's pond at the time when I didn't have the idea of the village yet. I was then more focused on the concept of anima, bright source of life, that I wanted to be omnipresent in the level. By the way, this idea will be kept and very much improved for an ulterior part of the game.

    The second concept we had unveiled to you during the Kickstarter was more focused on the atmosphere and the tints.





    The Anima was still present, but the area was much more dense and in a forest fashion. I wanted to go for concepts about the birch, a tree with a light-dispersing and striped bark, covered with purple and orange foliage that looks great in autumn and that seemed to contrast wonderfully with the previous areas to me.

    The idea was clearly to bring some heat, and to differ with the earlier blue/green.

    However, I wasn't completely happy with the result. Everything was too identical, poor, due to the overabundance of the trees to this "wood" aspect. I was starting to feel that Peppu would be just a forest with a different tint... I found that "boring", to say the least and I let the dough rest.

    3. Final version

    Here's the third and last concept. All finalized and integrated in Unity.





    This one is much closer to the notion of life. It's filled with Mudjins and thus must be abounded by houses created by those cute little beings. So I designed a village at the heart of the pond. A peaceful place where those little troublemakers could live in and play by painting symbols on their homes while bathing in the source of everything. The place holds a milkier and sweeter atmosphere, it could even be seen as downy, to remind the joy of innocence. But the village remains desperately empty, striking a certain anxiety against a backdrop of loneliness...

    3.1 Assets





    As you can see, the platforms accessible by Pankapu are also houses. I nevertheless embellished them with music instruments to note the musical activities of our dear light bubbles, the Mudjins. Music is an universal notion that wonderfully supports their jovial nature.



    3.2 Parallaxes:


    To finish, the backgrounds are made of parallaxes, which are parallel layers moving at the same rhythm as the camera's movements and creating the illusion of depth in a 2D game.





    In the Mudjin pound, the environment is similar to a mangrove forest scattered with plantations close to sea anemones. There is a common idea in the whole region of Peppu : trees. And this idea can be found, allowing us to make connections between the levels. Hence, I don't step out of the main idea because of the Mudjin huts and the nature's magic remains omnipresent. ♥


    The Lush Forest:






    Above, at the edge of the Garden, you will be able to take a glimpse of the Lush forest. Vast Silva, generous and colored, this abundant forest is scattered with vertiginous trees as far as the eyes can see.


    That's all for today, we love you all!
     
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  31. zenGarden

    zenGarden

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    How much did you pay for this wonderfull tablet ? I have a simple Wacom and i'm jaleous.

    It looks great.
    Still you don't want to put some decorative assets on the first plane on the floor or elsewhere :D ? Statues, trees etc ..


     
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  32. Pankapu

    Pankapu

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    Thanks for the comment! :)
    It's quite an expensive tablet, but as a Quintic, it's not that expensive :)

    We'll be working on that, it's just that we can't do everything at the same time.
     
  33. zenGarden

    zenGarden

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    You know good or bad comments are only comments, it is your game , do it as you want :)
    I just pointed about how i fell about the overall look, but sometimes it is perhaps better to keep it simple and not follow other people comments.
     
  34. Pankapu

    Pankapu

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    Don't worry, we listen to every feedback :) Even though we are still developing our own vision ;)
     
  35. Pankapu

    Pankapu

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    Hello everyone!! How are you today ? Oh good grief, look at the time : UPDATE TIME!!




    Let me introduce you a new character from the Land of Dreams: Ohiti.


    At the very beginning of your adventure, Iketomi will ask you to find the trace of Ohiti, a small being from Peppu in danger...


    Will Pankapu be able to have Ohiti find his Bravery back ?


    Color Research





    Sad Ohiti






    FX Research







    Ohiti In Spine








    Final In-Game Version





    That's all for today, we love you all !!

    The Too Kind Studio Team
     
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  36. zenGarden

    zenGarden

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    The animation is pro, good work.
    I really like the visuals of the green level, continue making detail assets and it will shine.
     
  37. Pankapu

    Pankapu

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    Thanks a lot! Glad you like it :)
     
  38. BitCrushed

    BitCrushed

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    those colors are other worldly beautifull , how you come up with the art is beyond me ,wow.
     
  39. Pankapu

    Pankapu

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    Hey @wjbender ! Thanks for the nice comment :) We hope you'll like the game when it's released!


    Helloooo everyone, we hope you're all okay! Oh good heavens, look at the time! Time for an u-u-u-u-u-pdate!




    In video games, boss fights are very important. When there is a boss, the player knows that this is the last test, that he/she must give everything to beat him for they can't finish the level if they don't beat the boss. And bosses help the player to realize he/she has passed a milestone, and is now stronger than before, and ready to go through a new level!


    Moreover, bosses are the evil beings, that can cause some beautiful rage quits, and this lovely sound can be heard if you listen carefully : "THIS IS THE CONTROLLER'S FAULT!!"


    I can't really spoil anything here (my bosses are showing me a "NDA" paper I don't remember signing...), I won't tell you the story of this terrible character, but I can at least tell you that the fight that will conclude the first chapter can be summed up in one word : "Epic". Brace yourselves, for Tyracine, the black-hearted shadow, is coming, mouhahaha!


    Animation research







    Smoke research








    Color research:





    Final version in Unity:





    Well, this concludes our little walk in the Land of Dreams... What do you mean "I haven't told you everything ?" "What's with this appearing hand?"... Well, don't you worry, this will be the subject of our next update, which should come up before the end of the month (yes, you've read that right, we never stop working at Too Kind Studio!)


    In the meantime, I'll leave you this small video to keep you waiting :



    Stay tuned and see you soon in the world of dreams.

    We love you all!

    All the Too Kind Studio Team.
     
  40. zenGarden

    zenGarden

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    For the boss it is like you use King Of Fighter game animations style very fast, it lacks frames it does not look fluid, it just doesn't suits as platformer.You can have animations using more frames looking more fluid , still fast enought; if you look at Ori game you'll see fast enought animations looking fluid.
     
  41. Pankapu

    Pankapu

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    Jun 23, 2015
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    Well, as a matter of fact, in the gifs, the animations are sped up, that's why they look "odd". But we're working on that, so don't worry :) Thanks for the feedback !!
     
  42. sir_luke

    sir_luke

    Joined:
    Aug 19, 2014
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    Wow, the art is amazing, the gameplay has potential, keep up the good work!
     
  43. Pankapu

    Pankapu

    Joined:
    Jun 23, 2015
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    Thank you ! Glad you like it ! :)
    By the way ! Time for a small update, don't you think ? :)

    Today, I'm just going to present you the characters of the game, so... enjoy!


    Don't hesitate to tell us what you think of them! :)
     
    Last edited: Mar 29, 2016
  44. Pankapu

    Pankapu

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    Jun 23, 2015
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    Hello everyone!! We've talked a lot about the gameplay, places... But the sounds are also important! And when you play Pankapu, you don't want to turn off the music !





    One of the best ways to feel immersed into a game is through the audio. And the composers of Pankapu The Dreamkeeper won't just be any composer!





    Hiroki Kikuta


    For this great adventure we've been given the opportunity to work with Hiroki Kikuta, the famous composer of Secret of Mana, Shining Hearts, and Indivisible.


    Hiroki will compose the main theme of the Orbis. Creating the musical identity for the universe where all the futures games from Too Kind Studio will take place.


    Indeed, we want our universe to create parallels like Secret of Mana as both poetic and whimsical, which is why we could not dream of a better composer to work with.





    Ganaé Music Maker


    We are also working with Matthieu Loubiere known as Ganaé Music Maker. He is a friend of the team Too Kind and a talented musician specialized in video game and movie music.


    His influences (that you will surely notice), come from Koji Kondo, the composer of Zelda, Kumi Tanioka from Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles and Masashi Hamauzu from FF XIII.


    Structured in two main themes, the dream and the nightmare, his recordings feature many live instruments like the piano, the guitar or the cello and finalizing the orchestration with samples. Many of his themes are composed during his dreams: “Thanks Iketomi!”


    You can listen to the first tracks here : https://soundcloud.com/anausicaker/sets/pankapu-in-progress





    Kai Kenedy : The narrator


    As you know now, Pankapu The Dreamkeeper is a game told like a tale. And what would a tale be without a narrator ? Kai Kennedy will be the voice of our Narrator!


    He is best known for his role as Beowulf in the video game Skullgirls.

    When he is not yelling on a ring and taunting his opponent, he loves reading stories to his kids.

    He gave his voice for our trailer video, and it's been great to work with him.

    With his touching and strong voice, the choice of Kai was natural.


    That's all for today, people!! Don't hesitate to tell us what you think about them!
     
  45. zenGarden

    zenGarden

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    Why two musicians ? Don't you think you'll get two styles in game not matching together ?
     
  46. Pankapu

    Pankapu

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    :) The music atmosphere is really important to us, so we're paying attention to that. Well, unfortunately, you'll have to believe me on that one, because we haven't presented many tracks of the game, but we have come up with a way to match those 2 musicians
    Indeed, as we've written above, Kikuta-san will compose the main theme of the Orbis, and Ganaé will compose all other tracks. And those 2 composers have a lot in common (musically speaking), so those 2 styles actually match together :)
     
  47. Pankapu

    Pankapu

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    Jun 23, 2015
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    Hello everyone! Today, we have a little update for you! Pankapu will have many enemies throughout his journey... And here is one of them!





    Do you remember the end of the second Omnia Express ? … What ? You haven’t seen it yet ? Unacceptable! You must fix that, right here, right now!




    As I was saying, a few weeks ago, we showed you a small video of Pankapu getting grabbed and thrown by some mysterious monster… Today, that monster has decided to show himself in public!

    Let me introduce you… the Slap!!

    Slap’s comment : It’s about time! Finally! I’m not supposed to be a meme!


    Slap’s origins

    I’m pretty sure the first question that comes to your mind is : “But how this nice (he is!) little monster came to be this way?”


    As you know, Pankapu’s Bravery Aegis bears a shield. We then had in mind to create an enemy that forced the player to use that shield.

    Slap’s comment : Grgrgr, I already hate this shield!


    We didn’t want a monster firing projectiles, since those can be dodged by jumping. We hence needed a monster directly hitting the player, and if the player doesn’t use the shield to protect himself, he’ll take some damages. We thus thought to create an imposing monster, with limbs directly attacking the player. And if Pankapu doesn’t use the shield, he’ll automatically take some damages.

    What are you talking about ? The player doesn’t need to use the shield! I promise, I’ll be very nice with him!


    Concept



    In this early concept, we already had the idea of a static monster being able to easily move its limbs to attack Pankapu.


    Mouhahaha, I loved those sharp limbs!




    Here, Slap is covered with purple and black colors, typical of nightmares trying to invade Omnia.

    What can I do ? You have to be classy as a bad guy!




    On this picture, you can see an important change compared to the first concepts. Indeed, rather than creating a monster that could simply attack the player with blades, it was more interesting to create a monster that could not just attack the player, but grab and grasp him (not friendly, unfortunately…) and then throw him. This allows the enemy to completely differentiate from the other nightmares. However, if the player uses his shield to protect himself before getting attacked, the Slap will be stunned, which will allow Pankapu to kick his ass! (Pankapu might be little, but he’s strong!)

    Strong ? You’ve got to be kidding me ! I’ll destroy him!


    Research

    Now that Slap’s final concept was found, and that we had in mind the way Slap would attack Pankapu, we now needed to create fitting animations and assets.



    Of course you need animations and assets! I’m not an inanimate statue!


    Assets

    The tentacle basis was kept, but we improved it thanks to the hand. Quite practical to shake hands, grab salt or… a Pankapu!




    But… How can such a big monster hide ? It doesn’t seem happy at all! You bet I’m not happy!

    You know what it’s like to live underground and wait for a hero to come ?!


    Animation



    Here, Slap is now animated! The idea of an imposing monster attacking Pankapu is present. Slap might be static, it’s nevertheless strong! Pankapu will have to use tricks in order to destroy this monster…




    Look at this moves, this agility… Pankapu will never be can’t compete with my class!


    Final Version

    Now you know a little bit more about “Slap“! An enemy that could be very dangerous! Your shield will be more than necessary when you face him, for you will not only be protected against its attacks, but in addition to that, Slap will be stunned by the shield… This will be the moment to show him what you’re made of!



    It’s so unfair! Let me say this one more time to be clear: I HATE THIS SHIELD!


    That's all for today! What do you think ? Do you like him ? Tell us!

    All the Too Kind Studio Team
     
    RavenOfCode likes this.
  48. zenGarden

    zenGarden

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    I find the animation too fast, undetailled, it is almost impossible to escape it once you are in the range.
    When you blow this ennemy, it just disappear without any blow effect, this looks too light , this lacks effect impact and visual blow up effect.
     
    RavenOfCode likes this.
  49. JayM15

    JayM15

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    Apr 13, 2016
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    This art is just too god damn gorgeous :eek:
     
  50. Pankapu

    Pankapu

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    Jun 23, 2015
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    @zenGarden : It's very possible to escape the slap :) We had the game tested by 10-15 y.o. kids, and they could beat him quite easily :)

    @JamM15 : Thanks !! :D