Rhys Sadler-Scott conducted research on retro games like Scott Pilgrim vs the World and X-Men to inform the design of their game. They focused on fast-paced action and gameplay elements to keep players engaged. While the soundtrack drew most inspiration from Sonic the Hedgehog, research on other games helped understand how music can enhance storytelling. Rhys could have benefited from studying more game genres to add variety. Their planning focused on making a character-driven superhero game, a narrow scope. Time management allowed completing the game on schedule but left little time for refinement. The aesthetic draws from Sonic but with a darker tone for the action-adventure genre. Rhys is happy with backgrounds but wishes for more

1. Evaluation
Rhys Sadler-Scott

2. ResearchMy research was helpful to my product, as it allowed me to better understand the patterns and trends in retro gaming. Such
as the formula of fighting enemies and rapidly switching locations to keep the player from getting bored.
My primary sources of research and inspiration in terms of gameplay were Scott Pilgram vs the World and X-men . The
visuals of my game were mostly inspired by the cartoonish, retro style of Scott Pilgram. Whereas the fast paced action and
bright colours are derived from the gameplay of X-men. My research on these games heavily influenced my choices for what
my game would be about and how I would go about designing the characters and enemy NPC’s.
For my soundtrack, I did research on the indie rock track used on the popular video game; Life Is Strange. Though its
influence in my game was fairly minimal, it did help me to understand how music can be used as an effective way to tell a
story on its own. Most of the research I did for my soundtrack however, was on the 1991 version of Sonic the hedgehog, the
first Sonic game, which featured music composed by Michael Jackson and is one of the most acclaimed soundtracks of that
generation. I did my best to emulate the light, chipper, high pitched music of the track for the sound work I did on my game.
I think I could have done more research on different types of retro games, as the scope of games I did research were mostly
limited to one genre: Action adventure. My product might have been more varied and refined if I had looked at some puzzle
or indie games. This could have allowed me to involve more elements in my game, such as puzzle solving, time trials etc.
Though I am still happy with the finished product, I think it might have been improved with more variation.

3. PlanningThe biggest strength of my planning was that I knew what kind of
game I wanted to make from the beginning; A character driven
superhero game. Thanks to this, I was able to base the rest of my
planning around this idea. This is also why I did my research on
games featuring supernatural elements like X-men and Life is
Strange. I had a lot of time to develop this idea further, as well as the
heroes I would feature in my game. This was all thanks to knowing
what I wanted to do before hand, which is why this was the biggest
strength of my plan. The weakness of my planning was that it was
slightly narrow in its scope. I only looked at games that matched the
genre of the design I had decided on. I.e. action-adventure. Which
means that the game will not be very complicated or varied for the
player. Though, if done right, action-adventure games are among the
most popular games. So this is not a gaping weakness in my planning.
Just a lack of variation.

4. Time Management
I think I managed my time as well as I could have considering that I’m unable
to properly work outside of the college environment. I managed to complete
all of the game and sound work ahead of schedule, which is good, because I
think working on fixing my feedback and completing my evaluation will take
most, if not all of this week.
If I had more time to complete my project, I would have put more detail into
the character models and enemy sprites. I also would have figured out a
smoother and less time consuming way of having my characters talk. Besides
that, I might have put more detail into my case study, which was serviceable
but not as well done as it could have been.

5. Technical Qualities
Aesthetically, my work is similar to the
retro Sonic the Hedgehog games. The
bright colour palate and fast paced
action is very emulative of the first Sonic
game.
The main difference between
them is the genre. Sonic is an
action-platformer. My game is
a Sidescroller beat-em up
action adventure. Because of
this, the tone of my game is
considerably darker than the
tone of Sonic.
The soundtrack of my game is very
similar to the classic Sonic the
hedgehog 8-bit track. The main
difference is while the Sonic
soundtrack is light and upbeat,
mine is a bit more sombre and
reserved.
Sonic the hedgehog is primarily a
single player experience. My game
has a strong emphasis on multiplayer
action. This is probably the biggest
difference in gameplay.

6. Aesthetic Qualities
I am happy with the look and style of my final game, which is very bright and
colourful, though this can clash with the sometimes-serious tone of the game. I am
satisfied with my character designs, but I wish I’d have had the time and ability to
make them more detailed. As it can be difficult sometimes to make out different
aspects of the characters. By far, I am happiest with the backgrounds of my game,
which I think are very well detailed and aesthetically pleasing.
The buildings were well
detailed and some were
even 3D
I liked the character
designs, but they could
have used more detail.
The sunset was difficult the
shade and draw correctly,
but I think it’s the best
aspect of the background.
The game’s comedic
tone is a good
strength but it
directly clashes with
any dramatic
moments. Which
leads to some tone
dissonance

7. Audience Appeal
My target audience are fans of retro gaming from ages 14-35. This is supported by
my interviewees, who were both in this age range and had a preference for the
genre. Both of my interviewees seemed to want a modern retro game, with
elements form the more modern platforms and action games of the 2010’s. In
order to address this, I looked at a more modern soundtrack than is traditional in
8-bit games. Though the influence in the track is subtle, the music is considerably
more modern than the norm for games pre dating consoles. I also tried to give the
game a modern twist through it’s deliberately old fashioned visuals, reminiscent of
the 2010 game; Scott Pilgrim Vs the World.
Retro character
designs with a
modern twist.
Modernised
theme and
superhero
genre.