Concept Document:

Game Title: 
Fur Force: Kittens on call 

Concept statement:
Using teamwork, agility... and trusty water cannons, players must put out fires, solve puzzles and navigate the trickiest of environments in this 2D action-platformer. Help the Fur Force team on their mission to save a poor mother and her baby kittens from the arsonist humans!

Genre:
Action, Casual, Indie

My first thoughts for genre were: platformer, puzzle, co-op. However, after some research on existing games on steam (co-op action platformers with casual puzzle elements) that have been very successful, the genres were consistently action, casual, indie or adventure.  As these would be the target gamers I would be hoping to attract, it makes sense to appeal to those genre tags. I also think that it’s fitting too as it is an indie game with action, plus it’s cute and casual… and probably not suited to more serious gamers.

On itch.io it's a little bit different, and similar game concepts were often found under the platformer genre.

Play mode:
Multiplayer, Local and party, Cooperative

Concept creation process:
My main idea was to create a co-op teamwork / casual platformer, as this is something I personally enjoy and is a lot of fun with friends. I also think it’s within the scope of what is achievable with a limited time frame.

Influences for my game came from a range of different local multiplayer games such as:

Pico Park [1]
Badland [2]
Spelunky 1 & 2 [3]
Ultimate Chicken Horse [4]
The Firemen (Snes) [5]
Multihero (open source indie game) [6]
And others…

Some elements from these games that I wanted to include in mine are:
- A one player dies, all players die mechanism. I find this to be really effective at creating a chaotic and fun experience. (Pico Park, Multihero)
- Fun puzzles that are not so much challenging on the mind, but challenging to execute, because of timing and balancing on other players, obstacles etc. (Pico Park, Ultimate Chicken Horse, Badland)
- A simple game design, with emphasis on player control and movement, rather than complex graphics. (Multihero)
- Player interaction. I want players to collide with each other as though they are both really in the game, rather than just operating independently and moving through each other. (Pico Park, Badland, Spelunky 1 & 2)  

The heart of the concept is most similar to Pico Park, whereby you have to jump on other players, press levers or pickup objects to reach the end of the level. I added an extra element to this though, where the cats have a water cannon which can be used to stop enemies or get through obstacles.
Once I had the key elements I wanted, I then started to think more about the characters, the aesthetic, the story and more specific game mechanics (such as the goal in each level). I liked the idea of cats walking on two legs, and putting out fires and helping other cats. I think there’s a cute factor and visual appeal to it (image 4a). Also, the goal of getting to a mother cat and saving her before the fire takes over is basic, but effective.

Lastly, I also wanted to make sure the game was scalable in terms of complexity. So, for example, I could make a few levels with playable characters and simple puzzles first and have a fun and playable game. Then, if extra time is available, I could add to it.

Target audiences:
Casual gamers – The game will be challenging, but the main goal is having fun, not competing.
Couch co-op gamers – This is definitely the main target audience. It’s somewhat niche, but there is a substantial list of couch co-op games which have had good success in recent years.
Any gender – My aim is to make the game appealing to everyone, by providing fun and challenging levels, but also cute and charming visuals. 
Children – I think children of various ages would get a kick out of controlling cats and putting out fires!

Competitive Analysis:

1. Similarities with other games:
   As mentioned, the biggest similarity would be with a game like Pico Park, in terms of game mechanics and level design.
   However, I’d like to make my game unique, by introducing elements such as:
   - Firefighting cats with a more impactful goal and purpose
   - A useable water cannon, and potentially other items / weapons (image 2b, 3a)
   - Various different enemies
   - A mechanic to put out fires
   - Players being able to punch or kick… and pickup, hold and throw objects
   - Players being able to mount animals or machines and ride them (image 3b)
2. Performance in the genre:
   There’s many examples of successful local co-op platformers in recent years, but here are just a few:
   - Pico Park 1 – Over a million copies sold [7]  
     Steam rating: Very Positive (22,000+ reviews)
   - Spelunky 2 – Over 600,000 copies sold [8]  
     Steam rating: Very Positive (18,000+ reviews)
   - Bro-force: Over 2.9 million copies sold [9,10]  
     Steam rating: Overwhelmingly Positive (47,000+ reviews)
3. Most recent success story:
   Pico Park 2 [11]. Considering it was made by a solo developer, this is a great success story.
   It was released in August 2024 and has already sold over a million copies [12]. It also has very  positive steam reviews.
4. Main competitors:
   A quick search for the top selling games on steam for “Local Co-op” [13] gives a great insight into what’s currently selling the most (at around the $10 - $30 price range). Some current competitors include:
   - Pico Park 2
   - Cat Quest III [14]
   - Bread and Fred [15]
   - Bopl Battle [16]
5. Where other games have failed:
Some of the biggest issues I’ve seen in the genre, is with games that have nothing new to offer and just repeat a simple and overused formula… such as killing enemies over and over again. This can result in repetitive, dull gameplay.

Another common issue is a lack of focus on what real-world player to player interactions would look like, and therefore the multiplayer entertainment factor is poor.

Game treatment:
Game description and key features:

You and your friends, a team of cuddly but capable firefighting cats… must work through multiple levels, each time trying to rescue old mother cat and her kittens. Armed with water cannons and quick paws, you’ll leap over obstacles, douse flames, and solve tricky puzzles together. Be careful though! If you take too long, old mother cat and her babes could be in dire trouble!

Plus, it’s not just fire you’re up against—kleptomaniac humans will try to stop you and cause chaos along each step of the way. You’ll need to work together, combining your movement and jumping skills to overcome obstacles, avoid hazards, and reach the trapped cats in time. Teamwork, strategy, and fast thinking are your best tools on the job in Fur Force: Kittens on Call.  

Key Features:

• Cooperative Gameplay – Team up with friends to control your crew. Working together is a must; if one of your team-mates gets left behind in the flames, you all fail!
• Firefighting Action – Use water cannons to put out flames, stop the wicked humans, and interact with the environment.
• Puzzle-Solving Challenges – Work through environmental puzzles that require timing, coordination, and teamwork.
• Time-limited rescue missions – Save a mother cat and her kittens in each level before time runs out!
• Whisker-Twitching Charm – A playful, heartwarming experience with a dash of paw-rageous mischief.

 Following is a list of key features that I would also like to add, but will be additions if there is time:
 - More extensive controls. I’d like the player to be able to do more than just walk and jump and shoot a water cannon. E.g. being able to switch  items, and punch or kick. Also being able to crawl, climb and dash (image 2b).
- Player mounts (image 3b). Being able to jump on and ride animals or machines. A system so that if the animal / machine gets attacked too many times, it runs away.
- Interactive objects. For example, being able to pick up, hold and throw an object.
- More advanced puzzles that require some thinking and several attempts to complete.
- Switchable weapons and holstering your water cannon. 

Concept Art:

Image 1a - Sketch art of the characters [i1]
The main idea here was simplicity, whilst still showing that the cat was a firefighter by giving it the distinctive hat... and of course, the water gun. 

Image 1b - Sketch art of general theme of the game [i1]

Image 2a - The original pixelated character design [i1]
This was the original image I produced with a.i. image generation. It was quite good, but I wanted a more chunky, cuddly cat. 

Image 2b - Sprite sheet of original character design [i1]
I need different sprites for the character be able to crouch and run, as well as jump and shoot the water cannon. 

Image 3a - Updated character design, displaying various poses. [i1]
This was made after multiple re-iterations through the a.i. image generation process. I really like the more chunky look to the cat. 
I also modified the image to create various poses such as moving the feet, blinking, or becoming angry when shooting. 

Image 3b - Character posing on a fire fighting horse. [i1]
I'm really hoping I can find the time to make mounts in the game, as this adds a lot to the concept. 

Image 4a - Example of how game play style might look. [i1]
I actually really like the look here, even of the characters. The cats are still chunky, but just a little more realistic. The different breeds of cat for multiple players also look fantastic. 

Image 5a - General themes of the game. [i1]
I wanted to capture the general theme of cats (cute but tough), taking care of business and helping the mother cat and her kitten. The middle picture is inspiring for some backstory, showing the cats being frivolous before the humans start burning everything!

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References: 

1. Pico Park steam link. https://store.steampowered.com/app/1509960/PICO_PARK/

2. Badland steam link. https://store.steampowered.com/app/269670/BADLAND_Game_of_the_Year_Edition/

3. Spelunky 1 steam link. https://store.steampowered.com/app/239350/Spelunky/
    Spelunky 2 steam link. https://store.steampowered.com/app/418530/Spelunky_2/

4. Ultimate Chicken Horse steam link. https://store.steampowered.com/app/386940/Ultimate_Chicken_Horse/

5. The Firemen SNES game information. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Firemen 

6. Multihero game information. https://github.com/alokforever/mh-reinstated

7. “Pico Park sales exceed 1 million units: How a solo Japanese developer’s game became a worldwide hit”. https://automaton-media.com/en/news/20211011-3784/

8. “Spelunky 2 Steam Stats”. https://vginsights.com/game/spelunky-2

9. “Broforce Steam Stats“. https://vginsights.com/game/broforce

10. Broforce steam link. https://store.steampowered.com/app/274190/Broforce/

11. Pico Park steam link. https://store.steampowered.com/app/1509960/PICO_PARK/

12. “Pico Park 2 surpasses 1 million copies sold”. https://www.installbaseforum.com/forums/news-publisher/pico-park-2-surpasses-1-m...

13. “Top Sellers”. In Steam, local co-op. https://store.steampowered.com/tags/en/Local+Co-Op?flavor=contenthub_topsellers&...

14. Cat Quest III steam link. https://store.steampowered.com/app/2305840/Cat_Quest_III/

15. Bread and Fred steam link. https://store.steampowered.com/app/1607680/Bread__Fred/

16. Bopl Battle steam link. https://store.steampowered.com/app/1686940/Bopl_Battle/

Images:

i1. All images were created using Chat GPT (DALL-E).