LogInRegular Studio talked to us about the development and art style of MotorSlice, a dynamic parkour game where you fight machines in a megastructure, inspired by Prince of Persia, "but stylish and post-apocalyptic."
Introduction
I'm Luqui, and together with my brother, Felipe, we are developing MotorSlice, a parkour game where you play as a cute girl fighting construction machines in a megastructure.
I started with 3D and game development during university, but I was interested in motion graphics and animation during that time. But it was not until I started my studio (2016) that I actually learned 3D for games. Turns out 3D for video games is quite a different mindset, so I basically had to start over.
Besides MotorSlice, I worked on my previous game, Togges, for 5 years, and before that, some prototypes and projects that went nowhere.
MotorSlice
MotorSlice is not a crazy idea. It started as a response to my previous game (Togges), and I applied everything I learned from that project: kept what worked, changed what didn't, discarded what people disliked, as simple as that. Because of that, I started MotorSlice with a very strong vision.
The initial pitch for MotorSlice was Prince of Persia, but stylish and post-apocalyptic.
With this as a starting point, the rest was just an iterative process and sorting things out. I analyzed what made the Ubisoft franchise so beloved to many people and tried to make a counterpart as appealing as theirs.
The Prince? I will need an iconic character, a.k.a. P, the tomboy girl. The Dagger of Time and the time power? I will need an iconic weapon, a.k.a. the chainsaw used for traversal. Sand motif? I will need an iconic one, a.k.a. construction equipment.
And so on. And my approach to design was that everything needs to be very simple to understand, presented in a very cool way. This led to a game with multiple selling points, I believe, although, was not intentional.
Gameplay
The game is all about the main character, a girl named P, and her drone, Orbie (the player camera, a drone that follows her around), doing a routine job in a megastructure. They are not heroes, just a completely ordinary duo doing their jobs. It has strong Slice of Life vibes, with the characters just interacting with each other while they are slacking. And during gameplay as well, with little interactions.
It's a nice contrast between the over-the-top action segments and the story beats. Speaking of action, the girl's job consists of hunting down deadly construction equipment and fighting colossal machines in the process (by climbing them), in a very bombastic way. It's ridiculous!
The goal for the combat was the one-hit kill rule: strike and keep going. It's easy to kill, but it's easy to die. This can lead to some really challenging moments if you are not sharp enough. So it's a matter of putting the expectation in the right place.
Besides fighting and chilling, you will roam around, doing parkour, exploring a desolate world, and just enjoying the vibes by being there. Parkour is not just about the movements, but readability as well, so I knew I would need a strong art direction for that. And while exploring the world, you will have to solve some physics-oriented puzzles to open new paths.
The chainsaw is not just a weapon, but a tool for traversal, which she can use to slice machinery, hence the name of the game – MotorSlice.
Game Art
A unique art direction was always at the center of the project. Since the first prototype, the stylish visuals have been there; they are a crucial part of the game.
I knew I wanted a game with great contrast between elements, using visual elements such as colors and darkness without feeling disconnected from the world. Mirror's Edge and Team Ico's games were a huge inspiration for the visuals. These games are not just about being "pretty", they're about using the art direction to create a striking and believable atmosphere.
The iconic yellow machines play a huge part in this. They are like ancient entities in the game, creating an ominous atmosphere. But not only that, I use brutalism as a form of fiction. You see, in the game, concrete is a huge source of energy, and that's why the world is entirely made of beton.
In terms of tools that most helped me, Unreal Engine 5's Lumen definitely takes the spotlight. UE5's lighting system works hand in hand with the art direction and allows for creating gorgeous vistas with fast iterations.
Development
Development in general has been smooth with no real struggles, but I completely overestimated the amount of time and effort you need to put into social media. Since I like to interact with people, this can multiply the time you spend even more! Because of that, the game got a bit delayed. Oops, my bad.
As for the future of MotorSlice, it all depends on how well the game performs, but I would love to give extra content for the game if possible! As a studio, it is hard to know for sure where I will go next, but I want to keep the same universe of MotorSlice for my next project.
I don't have any Patreon or something like that, so the best way to support is to share my posts. Both YouTube and Twitter can get lots of views, and this is the most powerful tool for a tiny indie dev like me!
While I'm at the end of development, I still don't have a release window for MotorSlice, but I don't think it's that far away.