Gio, Leo, and... the Aliens...

Say hi to Gio and Leo! These are the chosen astronauts who have been sent to die....I mean defend the planet from the alien invasion!

As previous scientists on Earth, they are more equipped than anyone to fend off the invasion. With their expert knowledge into the 3rd dimension, they have developed some seriously advanced technology to fight the aliens. These astronauts seem pretty eager to go and fight, considering they won't return...but they don't need to know that! :D

Gio will be player one and Leo will be called in to help for the two player games. Gio will have a red helmet and Leo's will be blue. They will both have a laser gun and carry their secret weapon on their backs...the dimensional shift...atron...3000? They have studied the technology extensively and it should work according to their theory.... although they haven't actually tested it yet. If all goes to plan, they will be able to move from the 2D world where the aliens are to the third dimension, allowing them to escape through walls in tricky situations.

If you haven't noticed already...these guys are the only people who were willing to fight the aliens. We are working with what we have.

On the other hand, the aliens come in all shapes and sizes. Well one shape and three sizes. The alien army are made up of the soldiers, the spies, and the Commanders at the top of the pyramid. 

The soldiers are the largest group and are the first to be sent into battle. They aren't the most aware but once they see the player, they won't stop chasing them down. The spies are the sneaky ones, as the name suggests. They will track down the player and not only attack, but constantly move around the player, making them hard to hit. Finally the Commanders. These are the strongest of the lot. Once the soldiers and spies have taken the brunt of the force, they will step in and take all the glory. As the alien leaders, they always know where the player is based on alien intel. Once their health is low, they aren't scared to retreat and sacrifice their own soldiers for their lives.

The aliens will prove a tough battle for Leo and Gio but will they manage to stop the invasion is the question...

In all seriousness, developing the character was a surprisingly enjoyable part of designing the game. It helped me to really bring the narrative together and fill in gaps for the gameplay, especially the dimensional shifting mechanics. I feel like giving both the aliens and the main characters some... character will help the player to also feel part of the storyline as it unfolds in the game.