"A Really Retro Game" Early Development (Recruiting)

[Sketchasaurus]

I think having a concise design document is important. even though using comparisons to other games as shorthand for explaining your game is helpful, I think it can be at times limiting since it makes people think more along the lines of "oh, it's just a *insert popular franchise* clone" What I'm seeing is a list of features, but there isn't any sort of unique connection that would make me feel particularly interested.

Part of creating a nostalgic experience is eliciting an emotional connection with the audience, it's not necessarily gameplay features, or even the graphical style, I feel it's more of the passion put into the game, that sort of "I want to make the best game I can, something that I'd love to play and would love to have others play" mentality of the creator. I mean, the technical aspects of the game could be flawless and the graphics could look nice, but you can't fake passion. (oop, I don't mean to sound too judgemental, sorry!)

I'd also say, in regards to the art direction as a whole: before sprites even enter the fray, establish how things look in drawings. I see a lot of people try to sprite something from scratch without finalizing a solid idea on paper first; sure, some people are good at it, but having art to refer to (and to keep the team interested) will only help your project.

Also, you'll find that some features won't make sense within the context of your world, it's important to determine what the game needs rather than what features you'd like it to have. Sometimes stuff won't work out and will have to be left out, nothing should be set in stone especially early in development.