It is no secret that 2D platformer games are nothing new and have been a prominent genre in the industry ever since the advent of video games, decades ago. Of course, most gamers are probably familiar with triple-A platformers such as Super Mario and Crash Bandicoot. While most big studios have transitioned from 2D to 3D, smaller studios tend to bring back the charm of classic platformers, and such is the case for A Sister's Journey.
For the uninitiated, A Sister's Journey is an upcoming 2D platformer game that features hand-drawn pixel art graphics and is currently in development by indie developer Florian Lackner. In a recent interview with Game Rant, Lackner shared exciting things on what players should expect on A Sister's Journey, specifically its gameplay mechanics. Traditionally, many platformer games tend to lean on the difficult side, but Lackner explains how A Sister's Journey is challenging yet approachable.
Why Florian Lackner Chose a Platformer as His First Project
One thing players need to know about A Sister's Journey is that it is the first public project of video game developer Florian Lackner. In Game Rant's talk with Lackner, he mentioned that he has worked on several personal video game projects in the past since he began pursuing his interest in video game development twenty years ago. Some of the games Lackner previously developed include several clones of classic games such as Tetris, an RPG game which is currently on hold, to a custom particle and VFX engine.
However, for his first video game that he aims to release to the public, Lackner chose the platformer genre, not only because it is his personal favorite but also because it is one of the genres that can lead to a wide variety of subgenres and other possibilities. Besides its versatility, Lackner chose to make a platformer game due to its accessibility. Apart from being compatible with both PC and consoles, the concept of a platformer game is so universal that even non-gamers can pick it up and know exactly what to do.
"I always wanted to create video games, and of course, share them with others to play. But the reason I waited so long before starting that one big project and releasing it publicly was that I really wanted to make sure that when I do, it's something special, something awesome!"
How A Sister Journey Balances the Difficulty of the Gameplay
Looking over the teaser trailer and the many updates Lackner posts on A Sister's Journey's official Twitter account, players will immediately notice how the game appears to be challenging. In the interview, Lackner admits that A Sister's Journey "will be a challenging experience at its core." However, Lackner also acknowledges the fact difficult games may not always be enjoyable for everyone. With this in mind, Lackner shared that the core principle that guides the development of A Sister's Journey is "in favor of the player," which means that the game will accommodate both those looking for a challenging experience, and those who prefer a much more relaxed pace.
Lackner also revealed that the default mode of A Sister's Journey features a challenging experience at its core. Players should expect difficult but fair precision platforming, insane boss battles, and tons of deaths in this mode. This mode is for players who enjoy hardships and doesn't mind dying multiple times, especially when they feel a sense of accomplishment in beating a difficult area or boss.
On the flip side, A Sister's Journey also accommodates players who prefer a more relaxed pace and less challenging mechanics. At the moment, Lackner describes this as a special mode that players can turn on at any point in the game. With this special mode on, players should expect an easier journey that is less taxing. To achieve this, the special mode turns down the stats and mechanics of some enemies, traps are slower, and other obstacles will inflict lesser damage to the player. Additionally, this mode will also allow players to jump at a later grace area, increasing the odds of success. Many other movements are also adjusted in favor of the player.
While Lackner provides the ability to control the difficulty of A Sister's Journey, he encourages players to try out the default mode first to experience the challenging precision platformer mechanics, which remains the core concept of A Sister's Journey. In the end, Lackner believes in catering to players who enjoy being tortured with challenging combat and mechanics and those who simply enjoy exploring the world he has created.
A Sister's Journey is currently in development for the PC.