The aim of this project was to create a form of media, remixing an existing IP from the 90s,. The IP that I had chosen was "Home alone" and the form of media that I wanted to make it into was a videogame, as I thought the basic elements of home alone would work really well in a game.

I wanted the game to be a tower defence game, with the same main character as the home alone film (Kevin), while also being based on Halloween instead of Christmas, as it is a spin off. 

I concepted both the menu screen and the main room of the game. The menu would show a start button, the goal of the game and the controls. The main play area of the game would be 1 room split into 3 floors which the player can move through.

The first thing I did was create a simple recreation of the room in game maker, as well as a character object with basic movement (walk, jump). The player can move freely throughout the room, and use the stairs on either side to move between each floor.

I also created a simple enemy object, trap object, points system (top left) and wave system (top right).

After making all of the basic mechanics I needed, I changed the room slightly to make the characters collisions more accurate, and created a path for the enemies to follow (red line). I also created a boss enemy, which is slightly bigger than normal enemies, and more health.

I created UI for the traps so that the player knows what button places the traps (bottom number) and how much the traps cost (top number). I also added a projectile trap that shoots in 2 directions, and changed the sprite of the spike trap.

I created a new bomb trap that drops a bomb every few seconds, dealing damage in a large area to multiple enemies. I also updated the UI, adding the bomb trap and moving the UI around so that it was easier to see.

I created an upgrade system for all of the traps, allowing the player to increase the effectiveness of each trap. Every trap can be upgraded 3 times (base, tier 1, tier 2, tier 3). The spike trap increases the damage done to enemies before breaking, the projectile trap shoots faster and does more damage and the bomb trap drops b

I started working on the visual side of the game once I had mostly finished the game.  I created the sprite and animations for the main character (Kevin). I implemented the sprite into the game and started to work on more on the visuals.

I created a tile set for the game, and tiled the main room of the game.

I changed the trap sprites as well as making different sprites for each upgrade. I also changed the sprites for the projectile and the bomb. The projectile is just a simple spike and the bomb is a pumpkin.

I created a stairs sprite, and changed the way the stairs work in the game. Instead of having to jump up every step, I allowed the player to move smoothly up and down the stairs making it easier to move between the floors.

I created a main menu and a controls screen. The main menu allows you to start the game, go to the controls screen, or exit the game. I also used the tile set I made for the main room, so that it wasn't a blank screen.

I changed the trap UI so that it was easier to see against the tiles, as well as adding icons showing what wave the other traps can be unlocked.

The final thing I did for this project was create a sprite for the enemy. I wanted the enemies to look like generic burglars (at the main villains in the movie were burglars). I also made a walk animation, that is the same as Kevin's but with this sprite instead.