2D Platformer Game
Inspirations for Miwu come from my team’s experience traveling to Taiwan (particularly Jiufen) and learning about its colonial relationship with Japan.
Travel and Research
During our time in Taiwan, we visited rural and urban areas of Taiwan, studying everything from museum artifacts to paper doll-making and Taiwanese culinary practices. Although our game would be made from a foreigner’s perspective, we wanted to engage in a wide variety of cultural practices and capture the essence of rural Taiwan as much as we could.
Style Guide
When developing a style guide for this game, I actually referenced several children’s book and graphic artists, one of which we had the pleasure of interviewing in Taiwan. Inspired by the flat elements of traditional Taiwanese landscape painting, I wanted the visual language of the platformer to be very graphic.
Poster and Logo Creation
Verticality and balance were key motifs in the project. For both the poster and logo ideations, I referenced Zhuwen seals and traditional landscape painting. I wanted to make Miwu, the main character, feel like he’s in between two worlds.
Kuangshan People - Character Ideations
The Kuangshan people have lived in the mountainous mining town for generations. Affected by the ore’s corruptive qualities, most of their bodies have begun to turn into rock. They are inspired by a fusion of Jiufen rock formations and pangolin scales.
Okumo People - Character Ideations
Based on significant animals in Taiwanese folklore, the Okumo Cloud City residents oversee ore mining and production in Kuangshan.
Okumo - Environment and Level Design
Floating among the clouds, the city of Okumo has tunnels and pipes that stretch down to Kuangshan for ore collection. This metropolis is dreamy and idyllic, but has a suspicious flawlessness to it that is unsettling to Miwu.
Forest Shrine -Environment and Level Design
Landing on a shrine platform used to transport ore from Kuangshan to Okumo, Miwu travels along the forest's roots and stone stairs. As he journeys, he hears voices from nearby graves, whispering stories of the past.
Kuangshan - Environment and Level Design
Miwu’s home mountain town of Kuangshan reflects the intersection of architecture and nature. The buildings, just like its inhabitants, are made of rock and other natural materials. Deep within the mines lie ancient rock carvings, depicting Kuangshan’s history and truth about its colonial relationship with Okumo.
Pitch Boards and Map
Our game consists of six levels, where players guide Miwu, uncovering the world’s history as they descend through each stage. Throughout the journey, players will solve puzzles, interact with Okumo and KuangShan natives, and gather collectible items. We wanted maintain the vertical flow of the game in our pitch boards.