A game of mutual aid and survival
This jelly, a hitherto unknown form of life that feeds on metal, could well be the Clics’ last hope.
But when their sworn enemies, the Klangs, discover them and try to take them over, the Clics must defend this unique creature at all costs.
Core Defenders, an accessible, fun and co-operative two-player party game from ESMA, is a tower defence game where the defender duo will need a good dose of ingenuity to collect resources, set up their defences and face down hordes of enemies determined to get their hands on this mysterious jelly with its unique properties.
To create a turret, players need to stack several ‘Construction Kits’ obtained from Slimes. Each Slime produces a different type of kit, leaving it up to players to build their own arsenal of turrets.
With each level having its own mechanics, adding chaos to the game, Core Defenders promises frenetic battles and addictive gameplay, where cooperation and teamwork are essential to success.
A collective creation
This mutual support as the key to success is also to be found throughout the process that led to the creation of the company.
Core Defenders is a graduation game developed by a team of twelve ESMA students and produced by Thibaut Dailliez, Gladys Brunel, Hugo Roche, Kyliann Faggian, Matthieu Bruffa, Nathan Peyron, Orianne Gallego, Quentin Alleman, Romain Puech, Rémy Place, Thomas Loccas and Thimothée Fontan.
The game was developed mainly on the Unreal Engine, with original music by Théophile Yvert and Ronan Hinschberger.
“Our aim in terms of artistic direction was to create a futuristic setting in a post-apocalyptic context,” explains the team.
“We wanted the player to experience the discovery of a universe combining robotic and technological aspects with nature reclaiming its rights”.
Inspired by games such as Kirby and the Forgotten Land and Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s about time, as well as the work of Kevin-Mark Bonein(Sonic Dreams, Rayman), the team has created a world populated by bright colours, cute robots and exaggerated shapes, all with a resolutely cartoony aesthetic.
That’s how the setting of the abandoned factory in which the players’ adventure takes place came about. The party game atmosphere is light and colourful, to match the idea of fun and humour.
Cooperative gameplay
“If I had to describe the game in three words, it would be‘fun’, ‘co-operative’, and ‘turrets‘,” sums up Orianne Gallego, concept artist and level artist on the project. “Our intention in terms of artistic direction was to accentuate this fun aspect through the project’s various visuals.
With a very humorous rendering, which adds spice and makes the game as enjoyable to watch as it is to play. In terms of the gaming experience, communication is an essential element between the two players, which makes the experience very addictive.”
It’s true that when you try it out, the diversity of possible tools and constructions put in place by the team is a key element of the game, and gives it a very special appeal. It’s quick to get to grips with, and you’ll quickly find yourself trying this little videogame bonanza hard , eagerly repeating the levels with their fluid gameplay.
“Our aim was to create a project that could be played on Nintendo Switch“, explains Quentin Alleman, Technical game designer and level designer. “So we did a lot of optimisation work, both technically and graphically.
A rich learning experience
For Quentin, the experience remains a fond memory. “There are always little relational challenges in the teams (12 students per project), but we managed to get past them and move forward despite everything.
During this process, we put in place a real production schedule, with all the stages necessary and representative of the development of an independent video game. We had to fit in with each other, bring together all the different trades and learn to work together. This was essential if we were to succeed in releasing the game.
For Orianne, the changeover was not without its bumps, but that too is part of the process. “At the beginning, it was a bit complicated in terms of relationships, because we didn’t have experience of working in such a large team. It was the first time for all of us, and in this type of project you have to be able to communicate with the whole team. But as the production progresses, you get to know the people around you, and communication builds as the project progresses.”
Completed in June 2024, Core Defenders is available to players on the itch.io platform, along with all the games produced by ESMA students.
And the public feedback was not long in coming! For the team at Milkshake zGames, an independent French game design and level design studio, Core Defenders is nothing short of a brilliant game, which works really well with a very cool gamefeel. “Even after 5 levels, you just want to keep going,” they say on itch.io.
If, like them, you want to discover Core Defenders at your own risk, the game is available free of charge and can be played in its entirety on Windows.