On Nov. 15, Starworks Studios, an organization born of Drexel University students, published the game “Boned” on Steam, an online gaming platform. “Boned” was developed by Guild Cheese, a group of about 16 people that was formed for a senior project and has since disbanded. Around 50 percent of its members were Starworks affiliated.
The game itself was based on the 2013 arcade game “Killer Queen.” “Boned” takes inspiration from the win mechanics of the game but places it in a unique space setting with cartoonish graphics and provides it in a more accessible platform.
In the game, you play as a canine astronaut in space, bouncing around planets and other celestial bodies while competing to survive and retrieve toys. You can either play against one other person or in teams of two. If either side collects a certain number of toys and brings them back to their home planet, they win. Teams can also win by firing toys at their opponents to diminish their lives. If a team runs out of lives, they lose. The only other way to win is to retrieve “The Bone” by drilling for it like a toy and holding on to it for a specific amount of time.
The amount of toys a team needs to win, the number of lives each team has and the amount of time the Bone must be held vary depending on which of the maps you play. There are currently four maps included with the download of the game, along with four characters that can be played and three hats that can be worn to customize your character.
Colin Page, the main designer and programmer, took the basic structure of “Killer Queen” as a team-based game with three win conditions and added the unique gravity and border mechanics that make “Boned” a unique 2D platformer.
Unlike most platform games, characters are pulled toward the planets that inhabit each map instead of being pulled toward the bottom of the screen. This allows for quick, multi-dimensional movement and offers the opportunity to slingshot around planets using their gravity.
“Boned” also handles the edges of the map differently than most games. Instead of characters getting blocked from leaving the edge of the map, they are transported to the other side of the screen. For example, if a player leaves the screen through the bottom, they arrive back on the screen at the top. It applies on the sides as well. The unique edge mechanics add to the chaotic gameplay as players shoot around the playing field.
Thomas Ludin, the head marketer who founded Starworks alongside Ethan Whiting and Braden Kovalovich, shared that the wrap-around feature greatly shaped how the maps were laid out as objects and planets were placed to make it all feel more cohesive. The well-planned design can be felt when played and was achieved through a large amount of game testing.
As “Boned” reached 5,000 Steam acquisitions, Ludin reflected, “It’s in the hands of 5,000 people, and that’s really cool to say.”
He also expanded on another success of “Boned” in that the Kickstarter they made for the game had reached their goal in approximately 14 hours.
Ludin further explained that a lot of the success of the campaign was the user feedback they offered. Backers of the campaign could submit custom characters, maps and hats that could potentially be added.
According to Ludin, the character and hat tiers were the most popular, and a lot of meme characters were submitted for consideration, including the “Yippee” gif creature and Nyan Cat. While neither made it to the game, the four current characters offer a fun level of customization that is purely aesthetic and does not change how the game is played.
While Ludin remarked that “I love working with Colin and all the other developers,” there will most likely not be any other gameplay changes or updates to “Boned” in the future.
Aesthetic changes are on the table, however, as a DLC with more characters, maps and hats are coming soon.
Ludin also shared that “Boned” and “Timeworks” will be at the Music and Gaming Festival from Jan. 23 to 26 in National Harbor, Maryland and that Starworks intends to visit more festivals and conventions with their games in the future.