IMPROVE YOUR BOSS DESIGNS

Tristan Tait takes you through some different processes and design ideas that go into creating a boss character for a 2D indie game

- Tristan Tait

Every good video game needs a bad guy, and coming up with an engaging boss character can be a fun challenge. They’re bigger and meaner than the rest of the game’s grunts, and it’ll take a bit of work on the player’s side to figure out how to beat them. What makes a good boss character though, and what are some of the different ways we can explore the design to craft and create something memorable?

In his workshop, I’m going to run through a few of the different processes and ideas I explore when designing a boss character for a 2D indie game. I’ll also show how it can fit within the development pipeline.

Indie game companies are usually only small teams made up of a few people. As a result, it’s pretty common for each member to take on multiple roles within the development pipeline. For the sake of this workshop I’m going to assume the role of art director, concept designer, and character artist… so basically I’m telling myself what to do, laying out ideas, and then critiquing my own work! So sit back, grab a pen, and follow along by scribbling up your own cartoon monsters and see what your next boss character could be.

1 Study the brief

Before I start drawing out any old boss character, I need to make sure that it’s going to fit into the game world. Our game designer and art director have provided a design brief that gives me a good place to start. I’ve underlined the important features and taken particular note of the style they need: “Colourful and stylized cartoon”. Clearly, my design will need to gel with the rest of the game’s aesthetic.

2 Find the mood