Blog 2: the Game Overhaul

Over June & July, Herding Ghosts overwent a significant change in its purpose which has resulted in an overhaul of the gameplay.

During the first few months of the game’s development, we revolved the mechanics around fighting off ghosts with a broom whilst trying to achieve various goals along the way. After our first peer-reviewed game test, the feedback shown surmised that our playtesters were a bit confused about the goal and weren’t too happy with ‘killing’ ghosts shaped like little cats.

The game now focuses on the ingredient collection, preparation and selling food in the bakery. Rooms are individual artworks instead of using tile maps, and the art style has also shifted to a ‘witchy’ vibe, seeing that the main character is… well, a witch. The cottagecore colour palette has shifted to more purples and darker hues to suit the ‘cute creepy’ aesthetic.

Lily (Art Lead):  “We’ve been really enjoying drawing the cute foods for the bakery and making more whimsical designs.”

Adam (Tech Lead): "We wanted to build a recipe and crafting system that is easy to use and understand."