Vanta is the second game project I was apart of during my time at futuregames. The name comes from a type of material/color called vanta black that’s extremely black, which fits well with the game’s artstyle that is dark and in black and white. The gameplay is that of a coop puzzle/exploration game set in a underground ruined city filled with various puzzles.

The game can only be played locally and one player has to use a controller but the slow pace of the game does allow you to play on your own with some difficulty at certain parts. The main theme of the game was symbiosis and thus the two players have different abilities and need each other to progress. For example the dark moth character can walk through walls that are in the dark to reach levers or other things while only the light moth player can activate certain buttons and levers as well as fly over gaps.

In the end the interactions implemented are fairly simple but they get the theme across fairly well.

The main things I worked on with this game were puzzle design as well as designing the puzzle mechanics themselves and also some level design. I also made a bunch of more advanced level puzzles that didnt make it into the full game due to time and difficulties with explaining game mechanics to players without a classic tutorial. I also did a lot of playtesting towards the end of the project.