Who We Are
Hello! We are Hurricane Rock Studios, a small gaming company comprised of four college students. We are primarily freshmen and sophomore at Worcester Polytechnic Institute. Our company was founded in August 2019. The members are Griffin Atchue, David Mahany, Yash Patel, and Quin Sakala.
Our First Game
Hurricane Rock Studios is proud to announce our very first game, Fool’s Treasure. Name is still in development but the idea is relevant. Our first game is going to be made with the Twine Engine and will be free to play. The central idea of the game is you play as a treasure hunter who goes to multiple islands to gain treasure and other items to help you along the way. The game will be a delightful and surprising filled with story.
First Draft
Our ideas for Fool’s Treasure didn’t start with the title or plot or game play but rather what we think is surprising and delightful to us. Our ideas for surprise was that it should be random or unexpected. And for delight we thought of rewarding and animals. After that we start of thinking of ideas for parts that fit those roles such as pet sitter or sweet shop owner. We eventually agreed upon Treasure Hunter since gaining treasure is rewarding and so many obstacles can be put in place for surprise. Our game also should be a more positive experience where the player doesn’t feel like they are constantly losing nor a challenge. We then started to come up with plot points for our games such as gaining money, inventory system, random island encounters, and events by days. We then created a paper prototype for the game that only included the first day worth of game play. The prototype had a inventory system with not all the items being used and small plot. Our goal was to see if the main mechanic of day system and random islands is something we should pursue.
Paper play-testing
Our first prototype was paper-prototyping, where we used index cards to show all of our branches. When play testing our game we immediately realized that our game was not surprising and a little bit delightful. It also became apparent not to give random islands, as the player wants to be given more options. Another boring feature was that the game seemed like a typical island adventure game. However, we learned that people did like the theme and setting. There should be some kind of negative outcomes as well as our already established good outcomes. Overall, the game needed to be reworked so that it feels more appealing to the player and unique.
Second Draft
Our Second Draft of the game is almost a complete redesign of our game. We kept the theme of sea adventure but everything else has changed. We added the popular and inspiring treasure hunter who sees a future for our main character. They take you under their wing and you both go on adventures together forming a trustworthy bond until an unexpected event causes a series of events where you must act on your own. A starter name for the game has been decided and it is “Fool’s Treasure.” The feel of this game feels much more delightful and surprising. It also is more story based giving players options to bond with your inspirational figure.
What’s Next???
Hurricane Rock Studio’s next goal is to be able to play-test the second version of our game. The goal is to ensure the player feels the game is fun to play and if they feel delighted and surprised. We also want to establish a business model for our game to be able to sell it on the public market. We also want to obtain better art and sounds for the game to be more immersive. Stay tuned for more news on Fool’s Treasure.
Hurricane Rock Studios 