The dog walk
One walk, two things to watch
Our starting point was the jam theme, “Mask”. We set the game on an everyday dog walk during lockdown, where a mask could protect the walker and still make it harder to breathe. The prototype sets two demands against each other: keeping the dog under control and watching the walker’s oxygen.
The dog can stop to poop at objects along the route, then try to eat what it left behind. Hitting the timing window lets the walker pull the dog back and pick up the mess. Running is faster but uses oxygen more quickly. Taking the mask off restores oxygen, but doing so in front of a patrol can end the walk. Running out of oxygen, getting caught without the mask and failing to stop the dog each lead to a different ending.
Early playtest
An early build showing the dog alert and the timing check that follows.
Characters and motion
Shape studies and gameplay poses
I started with studies of the dog’s long muzzle and floppy ears, then reduced the shape to a small sprite with a clear profile. I tried lighter and warmer colour treatments before drawing the dog’s sitting, crouching, running and lunging poses frame by frame. The crouch keeps the body low and compact. The lunge stretches the body forward, with the ears and legs trailing behind. The speed-line version pushes that change further when the dog suddenly bolts.
For the walker I tried different hair colours and versions with the eyes showing, before settling on the dark fringe and mask seen in play. With most of the face covered, I used the whole body to show what was happening. The walker leans back against the pull of the lead, and the uncovered mouth makes the moment of taking off the mask distinct from the other poses. I also drew the character in protective gear and a small dog portrait for the interface.
Story and event CGs
From the opening gag to the failure screens
The team’s opening puts the walk in motion with a tug on the lead and a glimpse of the patrol. I drew most of the project’s CGs, including event alerts and ending illustrations. The dog alert is my homage to Persona 5’s cut-ins. I tried both a painted close-up and a simpler silhouette inside the same red slash. The showcase uses the painted version, with the dog’s eye and the oversized exclamation marks pulling focus just before the timing challenge begins.
For the moment the patrol spots the walker without a mask, I borrowed the pointing gesture and radiating backdrop of an Ace Attorney objection.
I drew three different bad endings. In one, pandemic control staff take the walker away after catching them without a mask. In the oxygen ending, the walker curls up and spirals convey their dizziness. In the chewing ending, the dog looks perfectly happy while the walker has to deal with the result.
The victory animation
Back home
I made the hand-drawn animation that plays when the player finishes the walk. I begin with the front door opening, then cut to a close-up of the dog as the collar comes off. The next shots follow the dog as it jumps onto a purple cushion, lands, turns around and tucks itself in. I linger on the muzzle settling into the fur before cutting to the final illustration of the pair resting together.
Victory animation and shot sequence, drawn by me.