arrow_backAll projects

Maze of Doom

A game in the style of Nokia 3310

Click an image to view full image

This game emulates the exciting feeling of retro Nokia smartphones. Building a game with these extreme limitations to be authentic was challenging but enjoyable. I used a Javascript game engine called Three.js because of its excellent features and both desktop and mobile web support.

Features

  • Cross platform - The game is playable on both desktop and mobile web browsers, with touch support for mobile devices.
  • Depth dithering - To help players navigate the maze, I added a depth perception component that allowed the world to convey spatial information while still rendering to only two colors. This shader effect was fine tuned so that distant maze walls were hidden while near objects such as people could be seen.
  • Project Details

    The primary theme of this game jam was the restriction on graphics and sound to be consistent with a Nokia 3310 smartphone. I decided to put a modern twist in my entry by having a 3D world that is rendered to the screen's two-color, 84x48 pixel screen using a dithering effect to convey depth. The game mechanic of a maze adventure was chosen because the exploration worked well with the early 3D visual style.

    I knew I wanted to make this game mobile-friendly because simulating a retro smartphone would be awesome to show off from on a modern phone. I decided on Three.js for the game engine because it had a lot of features built in, crucially supporting the 3D rendering and shader effects I desired to realise this idea. Making it web based also reduced difficulty for game jam contestants to play the demo, as no additional download was required.

    As I look into entering more game jams in the future, I will seriously consider making stronger use of web based game engines as they much quicker to share and accessible to a wider audience than desktop games. I look forward to bringing my knowledge of Three.js to web based projects that need more advanced visuals than can be created in HTML and CSS alone.

    External Links