Kakatte-Koi-Yo! Is a 1-4 player, couch co-op, 2D-platformer fighting game. With multiple win objectives and 4 cats to play, its fun for the whole family!
I was deeply involved in the mechanical and game play design for Kakate-Koi-Yo, while also running "front of house" at multiple conventions such as GDC and E3. I ran lead on the project to release KKY on STOVE, one of South Korea's largest game marketplaces. This involved coordinating with the STOVE staff to localize the game, integrating the SDK, and preparing a storefront for a foreign market.
Kakatte Koi Yo! started as the team's senior capstone project, but after winning a spot in the finals of GDC's College Game Development Competition and presenting the game at GDC 2019 and E3 2019, the team decided to take on the game as a part time project. We have been developing it every since.
Kakatte Koi Yo! started as the team's senior capstone project, but after winning a spot in the finals of GDC's College Game Development Competition and presenting the game at GDC 2019 and E3 2019, the team decided to take on the game as a part time project. We have been developing it every since.
From the beginning of the design process we wanted the game to create exciting and high-intensity gameplay moments similar couch co-op games like Killer Queen, Smash, and Mario Cart. By pulling the players attention between multiple points of focus, enticing them with fun abilities, and giving it an adorable look, we were able to create a great and engaging game. Some mechanics in the game were inspired by other genre defining titles. The Bomb, for example, was directly inspired by The Snail in Killer Queen.
In Kakate-Koi-Yo, one of the win objectives that was a large contribution of mine is the bomb. The bomb spawns in the middle of the map, and your goal is to knock it to your opponents shrine, instantly winning the game. I wanted there to be a win condition that both teams would have to commit at least one player to. By making the objective an instant win it forces the players to give it attention, especially when its close to their own goal.
This mechanic's functionality has been reinforced by user feedback given at events the game has been displayed at. At first the bomb was set to roll very slowly. Because of this, we would see some players ignore it completely, or commit to it one hundred percent. Because of that we made the bomb move further when hit. Players have discovered many different strategies keeping their opponent from moving the ball, or quickly moving it while the other team is distracted.
This mechanic's functionality has been reinforced by user feedback given at events the game has been displayed at. At first the bomb was set to roll very slowly. Because of this, we would see some players ignore it completely, or commit to it one hundred percent. Because of that we made the bomb move further when hit. Players have discovered many different strategies keeping their opponent from moving the ball, or quickly moving it while the other team is distracted.
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The second win objective is the baskets, both teams get one. Once a player has gotten a fish from the lake in the middle of the map, they can deposit it in their basket. Once they have done this seven times, they win. The point of this win objective was to have something the players could slowly work on over time that the other team couldn't take away once scored. This progressed the game in case there becomes a stalemate around the bomb.
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While the main objectives of the game were being developed we were developing the combat system in tandem, both being made to incorporate each other. The player has two attacks, a basic swipe and an empowered attack when the player is holding a fish. The empowered attack is the only one that can deal damage, the swipe merely causes the player to drop their fish.
While developing this mechanic I the saw the fish as a sword and shield combo, giving you the ability to hit others while also acting as armor for one hit. I chose to have the unempowered swipe only cause the other player to drop their fish to detract from combat just the slightest. Since the way to win the game is through the objectives not combat, I wanted to slow combat down just a bit by having the players drop their weapons often if they fought. Just to make sure the players didn't get distracted smacking each other and not actually advancing either objective. Which we have luckily seen a good balance of in watching the game played by con-goers.
While developing this mechanic I the saw the fish as a sword and shield combo, giving you the ability to hit others while also acting as armor for one hit. I chose to have the unempowered swipe only cause the other player to drop their fish to detract from combat just the slightest. Since the way to win the game is through the objectives not combat, I wanted to slow combat down just a bit by having the players drop their weapons often if they fought. Just to make sure the players didn't get distracted smacking each other and not actually advancing either objective. Which we have luckily seen a good balance of in watching the game played by con-goers.
