Jimmy in Ebolaland is a project I worked on throughout my Masters program at American University.
The first iteration of the game was a 8-direction shooter. I built it after doing a Construct 2 tutorial, and then I swapped the images on the sprites. The result is jarring and practically unwinnable (it is winnable, though). It has no title screen either, so be ready to go as soon as you click. But it’s the first videogame I ever built and I’m very proud of it.
The second attempt was also made in Construct 2, but it’s a platformer. I kept the central mechanic — shooting and killing oversized Ebola viruses — and added the balancing mechanic of using an air conditioner to control the player’s temperature inside the suit. Because of the issues with the first game, I added a title into this version as well as a help screen. I also tried my hand at 2D animation — clearly a beginner’s work. It is extremely difficult like the first game, but the controls feel better and the narrative of the game is a little more clear.
In my final semester, I revisited this project to see how much progress I made in two years. My main focus this time was on the art. I reworked the sprites and tilesets. The result is not much of a game, but it sure looks better than the other ones!
Some of the art from Jimmy in Ebolaland
Sprites (4x size and slowed down)
Tilesets (4x size)
