Static

Overview

Static is a game created in 7 days for the Brackeys Game Jam 2024.2, themed "The Calm Before the Storm", which ranked in the top 5 out of 1,500 games!

In this is atmospheric mystery game, an impending catastrophe looms, and you have to send a crucial signal to Mission Control. But just as you prepare to warn them, the connection falls apart, plunging you into silence. Restore the broken radio signal by manipulating radio waves, decoding cryptic frequencies, and piecing together the fragile link before time runs out.

Our team consisted of a sound designer, 3 programmers and 3 artists, including myself. When deciding on our concept, we agreed to focus heavily on mechanics, allowing the art to remain simple to emphasize the eerie and mysterious atmosphere we wanted to convey. This decision allowed us to highlight the unique, creative mechanics developed by our programmers.

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Project Breakdown

Gameplay Screen Sketches

We began by sketching the scene, aiming for a moody, mysterious atmosphere while evoking the feeling of just another day at the office. To make the environment feel rich and immersive, we focused on adding meaningful details.

To establish the visual direction, I color-blocked the composition, testing different color combinations to set the tone and provide a reference for the other artists. Once the draft was ready, I passed it to my fellow artist for rendering.

During development, we refined the scene by removing unnecessary assets and adding interactive elements that better supported the gameplay. Some objects originally intended as decoration were replaced with functional elements to improve usability. For example, we initially planned to include a numpad for a Simon mini-game, but since the tutorial wasn’t ready in time, we repurposed the space for an on-screen tutorial instead. This turned out to be a safe but a great decision, ensuring that players always had the controls in view for a smoother experience.