My name is Ryder and I’m an indie producer based out of the Powerhouse Museum here in Sydney, Australia, alongside my makeshift crew of engineers and voice actors known as The Big Kids’ Clubhouse.
I’m looking to hire or partner with developers for the production of a 90s-inspired adult-comedy adventure game that blends visual novel elements with pixel art environments and puzzle-solving.
That is, players must navigate a mid-shot open-wall level (as if they were a sitcom audience looking inside a doll house) and interact with various characters and objects to solve puzzles and advance the story into the next VN-styled scene. The inspiration for this design is derived from point-and-click Humongous Games such as Putt Putt, Freddi Fish and Spy Fox, using VN scenes in place of animation while paired with adult humour (all SFW).
Three departments of roles are available for this project: the Visual Novel Team, the Pixel Art Team and the Programming Team.
For the Visual Novel Team, positions for hire include:
- 2D Character Reference Designer
- 2D Creature Reference Designer (inc. Robots, Monsters, Animatronics, Anthros)
- 2D Sprite Artist
- 2D CG Artist
Note: An order form that discloses the exact number of references and sprites required for both the demo alone and the full chapter is attached to this post.
For the Pixel Art Team, positions for hire include:
- Character, Creature & Item Sprite Artists
- Background/Environment Artist
- VFX Artist
For the Programming Team, positions for hire include:
- Lead Engine Developers (e.g. Unity)
- Level Designer
- Combat/Minigame Designer
- UI Artist
For all applications, please contact bigkidzch@gmail.com with your portfolio of work and rates per asset (e.g. scene, character, word, hour or week spent, etc).
If you are a pixel art animator interested in incorporating your work to better suit the Humongous Game aesthetic, please enquire within as well.
Otherwise, below you will find details on the project itself. Thank you for giving this all a read through and best of luck in your future work
Once Upon a Time in 1999
-- Synopsis --
Displaced teenager and self-proclaimed 'Queen of the Playground', Gdiva, finds her life upturned when an invading force of animatronic Tinkertoys decimates the slums of Saint Nick's City. Journeying with the darkly troubled card-dueller, Junior, and hot-headed animal tamer, Hakone Kimiko, Gdiva wages a desperate rebellion against the twisted pop culture mascot, Superbee Come Learn With Me, and his amusement park pantheon forever declared as 'The Greatest Kingdom on Earth.'
OUAT99 is an adult appropriation of titles such as 'Sailor Moon', 'Yu-Gi-Oh,' 'Pokémon', Nickelodeon, Cartoon Network and the Disney Channel, stylised to the urban infamy of the 1990s and the sociocultural divides that defined them.
-- Scope --
Chapter One of OUAT99 is represented by a 110-page script already fully voiced by a team of actors. This script is made up of all dialogue in Visual Novel scenes placed together as a singular screenplay. However, the in-game puzzle-solving mechanics are intended to break up these scenes and expand on the actual playing time exponentially.
This means that the first twenty pages of script alongside puzzle-solving mechanics can be released as a demo, and Chapter One in its entirety may be sold as at a standalone price and used for further backing.
In this regard, the aim is to complete the demo and Chapter One. You are not required to sign on for an indefinite period of time for anything beyond that point as this would be an unethical expectation.
-- Art Style --
OUAT99, as it sounds, is intended for a western cartoon aesthetic that invokes nostalgia to the 1990s and early 2000s. This means that, while there are plenty of references to Japanese pop culture, an anime art style is currently not preferred, but rather one that may appropriate these references into a high-quality westernised approach.
As an example for the VN applicants, I’ve attached a board from online artist, Charles Deroo, that quite literally takes anime characters and reimagines them in an almost Disney-like format. This would be a gold star to have in a portfolio for this project.
In any case, I know there will be artists in which 90s anime is their absolute forte, so you are still welcome to apply regardless. I have worked with artists that have altered high-quality anime work to appear western via reconstructing their facial structures, but if that is your intention then your portfolio must still demonstrate this capability.
At the end of the day, a 90s aesthetic can be achieved by VFX, clothing and idioms. The priority, as it is for any VN project, is high quality art that stands out to the player.
-- Rates & Deadlines --
You are able to present your own rates and estimated time of completion for your work. As someone who’s had a work-life balance strained by crunch time, I would very much prefer not to subject any worker to that form of stress.
If at any time you would prefer to partner and share in revenue rather than work as a contract-for-hire, that can also be discussed.
-- Sign Off --
I'll end it there for now. Thank you for giving this project your consideration. Have a brilliant day!
