COVER OF DARKNESS
Cover of Darkness is an action-shooter online video game created by me and my brother Alex Hinton. We've toyed with the idea of making a game for years until finally committing to the work required to finish one. Alex handled all programming, sound design, and composed the music while I created all of the sprites, artwork, and animation. We hope you enjoy!
story and concept
Aliens have invaded to cover the world in darkness and harvest it as their own. Petra cannot sit idly by and watch her home be destroyed. How will she fend off the shadowy figures in the sky? With fire and light from her oversized firework cannon, of course!
Color
Dark & Gloom vs. Fire & Light
Character Design
Petra is here to kick ass and counter the darkness raining down on her home, so she's fiery in color and functional in clothing. Molten fuchsia and canary yellow shine bright against the hopeless blues of her environment and enemies. This contrast defines the opposition in forces of light versus dark while helping the player visually keep track of Petra. Her outfit was an opportunity to make a small statement about female representation in video games. Therefore, she's dressed and equipped to complete her mission, a luxury given too exclusively to male characters. It's raining, so she wears a rain jacket and hood. Boots ensure steady footing and nimble dodging. Her hair is tied back to keep her vision clear for sharpshooting. Lastly, she wears a grimace to display strength and determination because she's got a planet to save.
Enemy Design
The enemies in Cover of Darkness all move and attack differently, and their form follows function. As the programmer, Alex decided on function. I explored a variety of silhouettes and movements to make sure that each enemy looks unique and supports their actions in the game. In addition to the tight color palette, I emphasized eyes and fluidity of body to create a cohesive style across the variety of alien creatures.
Promotion
Cover of Darkness was released January 1st, 2018 on the online game site Kongregate.com. My brother and I feared all of our hard work getting lost in the forgotten parts of cyber space, never to be played or recognized by another human. To ensure our game was played, I created several pieces of content for social media. The campaign began several months before the game launched and carried through the critical first month of release. Cover of Darkness has (so far) been played more than 2,800 times and been featured on the top games of the month for January 2018! We count that as success.