BREAK THROUGH WITH A MIGHTY FIST!
Made for Anti-Romance Jam 2023, HEART BREAK IMPACT follows our trusty flame fren main character as they search for the way out of an underground dungeon. I brainstormed, designed, and wrote the bizarre beat-em-up action game, while the programming and visual design were handled by my talented friend, ghoulbroth.
The starting map before unlocking the other two boss rooms.
Dialogue with the sun character after beating the first boss.
As a huge dork for the romance genre, I struggled with the theme of anti-romance for a while. I eventually settled on defying expectations of what people see as “romantic.” Rather than go for anti-romance in the romantic love sense, I went with tackling how society romanticizes “good” communication in “healthy” relationships.
Each of the NPCs asks our MC to take on a battle with varying communication styles, while our silent flame fren responds with nothing but a punch.
The moon is shy, awkward, and apologetic, while the sun is combative, aggressive, and controlling. This reflects how people tend to react in stressful situations, where some people underfunction (and become a useless sack that must be cared for), while others overfunction (and become a rigid person who refuses to defer control to others).
The flame fren, on the other hand, is a silent protagonist and only speaks through their fists. I wanted the reactions of the NPCs to indicate that the MC is not a typical hero and is only punching to punch, not to complete some heroic goal. Lastly, the skull is near-silent and reflects death, both in a literal sense and in a relational sense. Death can mean finality and the end of a relationship, but it can also illustrate the beginning of something new. Each of the boss notes also reflects the chosen communication style.
The dialogue is overall playful, fun, and casual, despite the serious topics I drew from. I found that is reflective of how I communicate with others. Though I understand the logic and science behind various communications topics, I still let my emotions and actions get the better of how I respond. I tend to laugh things off or let important issues slide with nothing but a smile and a joke. I think our little flame fren MC would feel the same.
I wrote about 50 lines of dialogue for this quick little game, and I’m proud of every word. One of my self-imposed limitations was making a silent MC who spoke not through their words, but with their fists (literally). This game jam was super fun!
<aside> 👊 Punch through your problems and more at ghoul’s itch page!
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