Postmortem

Regarding my design process for the project, I would say a big part of it was figuring out how I could best leverage the features of Bitsy to deliver my joke. I wanted to incorporate a number of different techniques into the game, such as using different palettes for different rooms, different text effects to evoke different emotions, various soundtracks to give the rooms distinct tones, etc. Ultimately, my goal with my design process was to create an experience that tried to best utilize everything at my disposal, and I think I managed to use most of the features in Bitsy.

As for how I used properties and affordances to set up my joke in Bitsy, I would definitely say I used them to emphasize different emotions within the game. When the game starts out, the soundtrack is very upbeat and when talking to any npc that mentions the burgers, the text uses different effects to create a sense of excitement whenever these characters are talking specifically about burgers. When the player finally transitions into the dreamlike sequences of the game, there is a visual transition within Bitsy to signify this, but the soundtrack also becomes much more ominous in the dream sequences, especially when compared to the upbeat nature of the soundtrack used in reality. I really wanted these sequences to contrast the final punchline, where the player exclaims that they just had a really good burger despite having this bizarre and ominous fever dream.

With regard to using variables to tell a story, all of the burgers that you pick up within the dream sequences are variables. Aside from pacing the game so that players do not just run immediately through the rooms, I think it also helps with the absurdity of the game’s plot. These variables are all talking about various parts of the burger as if their whole existence is tied to it. It helps to convey not only this idea that the player is experiencing the burger, but also just how bizarre the entire situation is.

As far as what I am particularly proud of with this game, it would be the art. I think I did well giving each room a distinct feel that corresponds to what the emotions of that scene are. Reality has a classic Game Boy-esque color palette that is supposed to seem familiar and almost bland, whereas the dream sequences have more color that contrasts a dark background to emphasize the ominous parts of the sequence. I also tried to create a sense of the burger being alive within these rooms as well, with different tiles within the rooms moving around almost as if the burger really was a living being. I think a good example of this is the holes within the cheese almost pulsing to signify this. As a whole, I think I did well on the art.

Something that turned out differently than I expected were the dream sequences. While I always intended for them to have a certain level of absurdity, they became more absurd than I originally thought they would. Originally, they would just feature the player walking through the various parts of the burger interacting with various parts of it, but I changed it to force the player to engage with these different, almost living parts of the burger. As a whole, the sequences became more involved than I originally thought they would be.

If there was anything I would do differently next time, I would handle the last sequences a little bit differently. When the player is traveling through the intestines, I think I could have added more clarity to signify what is happening, such as changing the player sprite into a burger. The final scene within the bathroom is something I would definitely change as well. When I talked about how I tried to leverage all of the features of Bitsy to make the game, that was still true by the time I got to the final scene. The issue here is that the constraints of Bitsy really hampered what I wanted to do here. I wanted to end the game with a sound effect that signified that the player just used the toilet followed by them talking about how they just had a really good burger. The final game still features this but due to the limitations of Bitsy’s sound effects, I don’t think I adequately got this point across. Clarifying the ending would be the big thing that I would have done differently.