Numb Chuck the Kung-fu Chipmunk is a 2d side scrolling platform game designed for the mobile phone platform. The game play is action oriented with enemies and puzzle obstacles.

Design Brief: “Numb Chuck Kung-fu Chipmunk.” (NCKC)

“
You ever been to the big city?
The size of all the buildin’s and people
Can make somebody feel pretty small.
Especially for somebody like me.
I’m a chipmunk, and make my home in the big city.
It’s an okay life,
It does have its dangers though.
But that’s okay, I know kung-fu.
“
-Numb Chuck (Kung-fu Chipmunk)

Numb Chuck is an adorable chipmunk. Round, fluffy, and a little dim, Chuck seems harmless enough, but the big city can be a pretty dangerous place and it helps if you know Kung-fu. With an affinity for shiny objects Numb Chuck spends his time with his best buddy fly. Fly is Numb Chuck’s constant companion. Fly’s irresistible urge for garbage gets him in trouble; Chucks Arch enemy, the Cat, hangs out near the trash pile at the edge of the park, and is out to get our little furry friends.

The first stage begins on a normal day. Chuck and fly are on their way to the trash pile at the edge of the park. Meanwhile the Cat is plotting his next move. On this particular day he plans to execute his most sinister plan yet. Convincing a group of rats the Cat devises a plan to kidnap Fly and finally sink his claws into Numb Chuck.

“
Without fly Chuck must discover how to defeat me without the advice of that twittering fly. Chuck is surely to dim. (sinister laugh goes here)
”
the Cat (evil Villain)

When the dust settles Fly is gone, kidnapped by the rats. To save him Chuck must summon all of his skill and intelligence to find his tiny flying friend.

Game Features:

Innovative fighting system:
By timing the tapping of the attack button with the music Chuck will execute combos, jumping from one enemy to the next. It takes a skilled player to string together a long combo.

This fighting system is inspired by rhythm action games such as “Dance Dance Revolution” in NCKC it is integrated with the classic controls of a 2D platformer.

If I may explain: While playing a 2D platformer like “Mario Brothers” for example, I find myself timing my movements with the game music (thus adding sounds in time with the game music). NCKC rewards players for doing this by adding a player created music track to game music as well as action and style to Chuck’s attacks. The player is also rewarded with a combo points system.

Customizable character:
Along his Journey Chuck finds small shinny objects called Bling. Chuck can adorn himself in these objects. Each piece can be worn a few different ways. Chuck has 14 different places where he can wear Bling, giving the user hundreds of different ways to dress up and customize his character.

Characters:

Name: Numb Chuck
Type: Player Character

Description: Small, furry, furious with his fits.
Likes: Finding and adorning himself in shiny objects called “Bling”.
Description: With tooth and Claw Chuck defends himself from enemies and danger. Combining nimble quickness and the ancient art of kung-fu Chuck is a master chipmunk fighter.
Abilities:
KUNG-FU FIGHTING: Chuck can stand on his hind legs and deliver a flurry of kicks and punches.
SCAMPER: Chuck can hunker down on all fours and take off on a furious mad dash. In scamper mode Game play will feel as a hair trigger. Chuck will be quick and twitchy.
While scampering Chuck can climb certain walls and level elements, and jump farther to reach certain areas.
HURLING NUTS: When there are nuts about, Chuck can pick them up and hurl them at enemies and obstacles. If nothing is around to hurt or hit, Chuck can store nuts in his cheeks for later use. This does not affect game play.

Name: Fly Type: Non-player character

Description: Scatter Brained, flittering, and helpful. Likes: Trash Description: Chuck and fly were fast friends from the beginning. Fly is always offering Chuck advice, and dim-witted Chuck is always up for a tip. Fly loves garbage and sometimes like to linger a little too long. That is when Chuck’s Kung-fu comes in handy. Abilities: Guiding Chuck: Fly tells chuck what to do and how to do it throughout the first level.

Name: the Cat Type: Enemy Description: mean, calculating, street smart cat Likes: small furry things... for eating Story: The games central enemy, Alexander organizes Fly’s abduction.

Game play:

The game play combines action controls with puzzle obstacles. Chuck must use the abilities at his disposal along with objects in the environment to progress and eventually find his friend.

Controls:

Right: Move to the right

Left: Move to the left

button 1: Jump

down: Crouch

Double Tap Down: Toggles SCAMPER/Kung-Fu

button 2: KUNG FU – Chuck will punch and kick kung-fu style. With properly timed tapping Chuck will automatically string combos and pursue fleeing enemies. The game is to be set up so that Chuck is led through a section with enemies placed in proximity to one another. By tapping the Kung fu attack button at the proper interval and tempo Chuck will jump from one enemy to another. The more precisely timed the gamers attacks, the longer a combo will last, and the more entertaining it will be to play. This is an essential component to game play, and core to the action game-play.

Alternate button 2: THROW NUT - Nuts are aimed at enemies and level elements automatically when Chuck is standing still. When he is running nuts follow a consistent path.

Arrow Up: Cycles through nut position. 1x: Press up near a nut and Chuck will pick it up. 2x: Press up again and Chuck will put the nut in his mouth. 3x: Chuck will remove the nut from his mouth. (To throw a nut Chuck is holding Press button two.)

Game play elements

Basic surface is solid ground. Properties: Objects (including player) will collide with the upper part of the tile and will therefore be able to walk on it.

3 other surfaces:

Surface #1: climbable surface Properties: When Player collides with outer part of climbable surfaces while in scamper mode, Chuck will climb the surface no matter what the angle.

Surface #2: damage surface Properties: When player collides with the outer part of the tile, Chuck will get hurt.

Surface #3: slippery surface Properties: When Chuck collides with outer part of the tile, he will slide. When in scamper mode, Chuck won’t be able to climb very far on this surface. When in kung fu mode, Chuck will just fall down.

Interactive Elements

Interactive element #1: NUTS. Chuck can pick up nuts and either store them in his cheeks or throw them at enemies. Chuck can only throw so far, but when standing steady his aim is impeccable. Chuck doesn’t have time to aim as he runs or walks so he just heaves the nut at a consistent height and distance. Gameplay: The ability to collect objects dispersed throughout a level and use them in several different situations gives the gamer creative options. Chuck can automatically aim nuts, however he must be in range of what he is throwing at (Chuck may “see” something the gamer does not). Chuck can throw nuts in both scamper and kung-fu modes.

Interactive element #2: SWITCH RELATED OBSTACLES. A switch is activated when something passes over it. This may be an enemy, a nut or, good ole Chuck himself. A switch affects its corresponding obstacle. Some switches can be flipped both ways others can only be used once. Gameplay: Chuck will constantly be trying to turn over switches to further his progress. Some switches are hidden. Others require a nut thrown from the correct position. Sometimes an enemy will trip the switch when you least want him to; other times getting an enemy to walk over a switch is the only way to activate it.

Common Enemies

Enemy #1: CRAWLING CRITTERS: squirrels, mice, rats or other small furry critters, depending on the level’s theme or enemy difficulty.
Behaviour: patrol/advance attack/retreat. If Chuck starts wreaking havoc among his crawling critter enemies they become timid and try to get away. If the Gamer mashes the buttons properly Chuck will pursue fleeing enemies while attacking acrobatically with the games combo system.

Enemy #2: FLYING CRITTERS: Pigeons, sparrows, seagulls etc. Types Depend on the level’s theme and enemy difficulty.
Behaviour: patrol/advance attack/retreat: If Chuck starts wreaking havoc among his crawling critter enemies they become timid and try to get away. If the Gamer mashes the buttons properly Chuck will pursue fleeing enemies while attacking acrobatically with the games combo system.

Boss: THE CAT, is a recurring boss character. It appears at the end of the first level and gets the story rolling by kidnapping Chuck’s best friend Fly. The Cat is fast and deadly with sharp claws and teeth.
Behaviour: The Cat has several attacks and, in this the first level, it unleashes the attacks in a pattern that is easy to identify.
CHARGE: the Cat gives warning of this attack by tensing into a crouch. After a moment the Cat will spring at Chuck. Chuck must jump out of the way of the Cat’s teeth in order to avoid damage. The Cat will be vulnerable for after this attack.
POUNCE: When the player mounts a successful attack the Cat will be stunned for a moment then become infuriated and, with hair standing on end, will try to pounce on Chuck. Frantically the Cat will pounce three times. Hair standing on end, each pounce immediately follows the previous. The Cat will almost appear to be bouncing. The attack is dangerous but not very accurate.

Rewards

Reward #1: “Bling” Description: Chipmunks are known for their fondness for shinny things. “Bling” are shiny objects hidden throughout the levels. When Chuck finds Bling he can choose to wear it, however he can only wear a certain number of Bling items. Bling acts as a player’s health. When Chuck gets hurt he loses Bling hit points. When all Bling hps are gone he will lose that piece of Bling. HP varies depending on piece of Bling. When Chuck looses a peace of Bling it is not gone forever. It is still available in his chipmuck hole, which he may visit at the end of each level. The style of Bling can vary. A piece of Bling could be anything from an elegant woman’s broach worn as a guided medieval breast plate, to a bottle cap warn as a samurai’s hat, to a large medallion that just looks funky. Chuck starts the game with a tiny gold ring that once belonged to a girl’s doll. This is the last Bling Chuck will loose after which he will die. This reward allows a player to customize Chucks appearance.

Reward #2: SpitNut. Description: When Chuck puts a SpitNut into his mouth he has the ability to spit nuts. This is similar to the Nut Hurling ability with greater distance and more power. A SpitNut takes up space in Chuck’s mouth and Chuck cannot hold as many regular nuts as a result. Screen Shot

Screen Shot

First Stage Level Map

Game audience

The Casual Audience: A platform title can appeal to all, as long as it is easy to pick up and learn and fun from the very start. This game is designed for gamers to achieve goals quickly and have a lot of fun attaining those goals. Each level builds on previous levels by reintroducing and building upon situations the player encounters. Plus there is plenty of button-mashing fun. The main character is accessible to everyone. Cute and lovable with a mean streak is a character type that has been utilized in many successful titles. This game has some unique elements coupled with some familiar ones: Chuck runs around killing enemies and flipping switches, pretty familiar. Chuck is a city dwelling chipmunk trying to rescue a Fly. He can scamper up walls, throw nuts with accuracy and grace, and knows kung fu. That is an interesting combination. There is a lot of opportunity in the level design to take familiar objects and present them at an unfamiliar scale.