Keaton’s Adventure
The Adventure Begins!
Keaton's Adventure is an expressive 2D action-adventure platformer where you’ll traverse the recently formed Milkdromeda Galaxy as Keaton, an enthusiastic altruist, to help bring about peace and stomp out an alien invasion!
The Keaton’s Adventure Demo can be played on Steam!
Intro gameplay segment for Keaton’s Adventure.
About This Project
Keaton’s Adventure is a passion project that began development in December 2023 and is currently on-going. It is being developed using Godot. In one year, I’ve managed to turn it from prototype into a playable demo currently listed on Steam. Keaton’s Adventure is a solo developer project in which all content, except for the music and some sound effects, have been developed by me. Other assets have been paid for or were free to use. No AI was used nor is planned to be used in the development process.
My intention with this project is just to make a game that I’d want to play, as well as to prove to myself that I could make a complete game on my own. It’s not necessarily my dream game but rather a simple project that took on a life of its own. What started as a practice assignment to better understand programming concepts such as OOP has now become an outlet where I can combine my skills in art and animation with new found love for programming and engineering.
Tools Used
Godot (GDScript), Aseprite, Figma, Chiptone, Git
Features
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Unique Player Mechanics
Players have a variety of movesets and mechanics that create a dynamic gameplay experiences. The movement system has unlockable abilities that allow the player to experiment with multiple play styles.
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Multiplayer
Two players can experience the game together with seamless Co-op, allowing a second player to jump in and out of gameplay with ease. The dynamic camera follows both players and handles various situations such as being off screen, cutscene management, and various gameplay conditions.
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Save File System
Features a Save/Load file system that retains compatibility with future updates. Save files display game progress in a way that is easy to read and resume.
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Story & Dialogue System
The game includes a narrative with cutscenes and interactive NPCs, each with their own unique dialogue.
The dialogue system has multiple features that include but aren’t limited to:
Branching Options
Dialogue Backtracking
Animated & Highlighted Text
Unique Character Textboxes
Dynamic Text (Textboxes include information that changes depending on circumstances)
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Level Selection
Players can tackle certain levels in any order they choose by selecting planets within a solar system themed level selection menu. This Menu houses various systems within, such as character selection, hub world access, and stat menu access.
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Item & Inventory System
Players have access to an inventory systems that allows item and other types of equipment options that can shake up gameplay or alter player stats. Inventory systems can be accessed inside or outside of gameplay.
Achievements
Live Interviews and Showcases
What I’ve Learned
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The game features various systems that all work together to create the gameplay experience. These features include:
Saving & Loading
Branching Dialogue
Inventory
Level Selection
Player mechanics
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In order to maintain such a complex project on my own, I’ve used kanban boards such as trello to sort bugs, milestones and my todo list
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A lot can be said about how I can get so much polish and progress done as a solo developer. Most notably, I dedicate blocked time to work on the game and attend monthly playtest events which I also use to hold myself accountable for to make progress in tandem with my day to day life. I’ve made an effort to narrow down what kind of game I’ve wanted to make and focus on what’s most important so that I maintain a clear vision
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Discovering patterns such as finite state machines and prefab-like resources to assist with concepts such as saving and loading had helped me understand the development process more. It’s an ongoing effort learning new ways to tackle programing problems using tried and true patterns and techniques to simplify the development process
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With such a complex project, version control is important. I’ve learned early on how detrimental it can be to lose important data, so I took the time to learn how to use Git and save my future self from a disaster. Keaton’s Adventure has over 250 commits.
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This project was bigger than I could chew when I initially took it on but that was exactly why I did it. I’m someone who likes to challenge myself and improve by persevering. Through my initial struggle for how to program certain feature and mechanics, I discovered how to break down problems and get the results I envisioned, or can research what I need to learn in order to achieve it.
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Understanding my target audience and developing a game that feels as good as I want it to look is extremely important to me. Through years of playtesting and feedback, I’ve gained skills that allow me to develop content/software with specific users/player in mind.
Attended Showcases
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On August 24th, 2024, I attended my first public showcase event.
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Showcased a playable demo of Keaton’s Adventure at an expo held at a convention center in downtown Raleigh.
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I first attended Oak City Indie Games on December 7th, 2024 where I held my first live interview on twitch.
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Showcased a demo of Keaton’s Adventure at a convention center located in Washington, DC over the weekend.
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Showcased a Demo of Keaton’s Adventure at my first paid convention specifically for indie games and was nominated for an award.
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Returned for an annual showcase event where an updated version of Keaton’s Adventure was showcased.
Other Games
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Built2Scale
A small scale competitive multiplayer game made as part of the 2024 GMTK Game Jam.
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Clown Shoes
A small scale platformer made as part of the 2024 Global Game Jam
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Surface Tension
A small-scale 2D survival game made as part of the 2025 Global Game Jam.
