Save the Whale!

To me, the ocean seems like the perfect setting for a Bitsy game. The limited color palette works perfectly to depict the blue of the waters, which would tint everything anyway. The animations that add so much charm and life to Bitsy seem so natural among the constant motions of currents and swimming. Also, the ocean leaves so many opportunities for different types of characters and interactions. One challenge that the ocean presents, however, is that it’s completely open, with no boundaries or paths. Bitsy’s room system is much better suited to a sort of dungeon-based game. I cheat this a little bit, by bringing our player character, a mermaid, into an underwater cave system. 

My game’s set-up is very simple. A mother whale asks the player character, a mermaid, for help finding her baby who is lost in a cave system that she’s too big to swim through. The player explores the cave, meeting other sea creatures, each with their own personalities. Each one has multiple dialogue lines, intended to guide the player along. The baby whale is trapped at the end, and the player will need the right tools to free her. Since Bitsy is so visually limited, I really wanted to focus on the writing to make everything feel as lively as possible.