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I love pudding. It's no secret and I am not ashamed of it, so making a game about a pudding who jumps and runs along tracks filled with other desserts was a nobrainer.
With Flantastic Cafe Run we wanted to make a casual endless runner mobile game. I was in charge of writing the story, creating and honing the mechanics and crafting customization features that enabled monetization.
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Let's start at the beginning. We were certain we wanted to make a cute, simple game about a jumping puddin. But I felt like I needed to find something fresh to add to the endless runner genre.
With the rest of the team, we started researching aesthetic references. We wanted the setting to be based on a kawaii cafe in Japan. Quickly, the image of a sushi restaurant came to mind. I thought we could adapt the double-track system they use to move sushi plates around. Having two different moving speeds on each track and the ability to switch between them sounds like a fresh and exciting idea.
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Budding Idea sketch:
This was the first drawing I did for the project. I found it incredibly helpful to put ideas on paper. And from these early concepts, we could start working on the pudding movement, obstacles and rewards.
Research:
This concept was thrilling, and I started researching other endless runner games. Subway Surfers, Flappy Dragon, Tape It Up!, Jetpack Joyride, Temple Run... My main focus was analyzing these factors:
• Main running mechanics: acceleration rate, jump mechanism, obstacle chunk distribution, powerups...
• Economy and Monetization: When to incorporate ad viewing, use of ads as an incentive rather than punishment, unlockable items, progression goals...
• UX/UI: screen flow, placement of buttons, horizontal/vertical distribution...
Lore:
I believe it's always necessary to justify the events of the game, no matter how small.
After what we did in "Azahar's Flower" I was sure we could make a funny 2D cinematic to give some context.
All desserts dream of the day when they will be eaten. It is their stellar moment, in which they can release all their flavor and sweetness. Day after day, Flansico looks out the window how much more colorful and decorated desserts than him are chosen by customers to give that great closure to their meals.
He looks at them with envy, so damn elegant and graceful when it comes to entering the mouth, resembling divine figures, worthy of a Renaissance painting. The pudding is on the verge of giving up when a customer chooses him. He can't believe it. IT'S HIS CHANCE. The client raises the plate and is about to let him into his mouth when PATAPÚM! Flansico is so wiggly that he falls on top of the conveyor belt, moving him away from his goal. No! It can not be! NOTHING will stop him from finishing his big moment! He won't give up!
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Jump mechanic sketches:
The main goal of this drawings is to illustrate the different movement mechanics of the pudding. Jumps can be performed in two ways while also being able to switch tracks.
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Animated Previs:
As a proof of concept, I made this previs animation in After Effects. The idea behind this was to make it easy for the team to grasp the concepts previously discussed.
Thanks to this animated mockup, I could confirm the different speed lane approach was compelling and fun to navigate.
Thanks to this animated mockup, I could confirm the different speed lane approach was compelling and fun to navigate.
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Screen flow-chart:
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