Draft:Onion's Life

Onion's Life
Onion's Life is a 2023 platformer video game developed by asdfbob Games using Kaplay.js. The game is hosted on GitHub and accessed through a custom website, meaning no downloads are required for immediate play. It features a unique cast of onion characters navigating through various levels filled with challenges and obstacles. Players can jump, collect coins, and avoid dangers to progress through the game.

Gameplay
In Onion's Life, players control various types of onions, each distinguished by different colors and characteristics. The gameplay primarily involves navigating through levels, collecting coins, and avoiding hazards such as spikes. Multiplayer features allow players to compete or cooperate in real-time. The levels are designed to offer a balance of difficulty and fun, catering to a broad range of players.

The game’s first level, Intro, is designed to familiarize players with its mechanics. It includes demonstrations of common gameplay elements, teaching players how to interact with objects. Following this, players encounter Classic ~ 1, a level that tests their understanding of the mechanics introduced in the Intro. Although this level is notably more challenging, it also serves to gauge players' readiness to progress further in the game. This was the first level developed, even preceding the Intro, and players earn their first collectible achievement, First Trophy, early in this level.

Subsequent levels continue to increase in difficulty. Level eight, Whoop de doo, introduces the key and door mechanics and is relatively lengthy for an early level, setting the stage for the longer levels that appear later. The game’s gradual introduction of new concepts has been praised for its accessibility, making it easy for new players to learn and adapt to new challenges.

The game features various achievements that can be earned by completing levels or performing specific tasks. For instance, players can earn an achievement by simply collecting a coin in Level 20, Rollercoaster. Some achievements unlock skins, such as the secret ? achievement in Level 1, which reveals a unique onion character with white eyes and a large smile. Additionally, there are numerous free skins available, with the default being the original onion character.

Main Elements

 * The ground block is the most common gameplay element, giving the player a platform to stand on.
 * The spike is another common element which results in instant death when the player touches it.
 * The downward spike is the spike rotated 180 degrees, and is used in levels that want to look better.
 * The coin is an object present along the path of many levels. Currently, there is no use for coins.
 * The portal marks the end of the level, and sends the player to the next level when it is touched.
 * The jumpy is another common element, sending the player high up into the sky on impact.
 * The ghost is a moving enemy that acts as a jumpy when jumped on, but can kill the player from the side.
 * The key is a collectable that removes all doors when collected by the player. It is used in many levels.
 * The door is another type of ground block that gets removed from the level when a key is collected.

Routing Elements

 * The left signpost is a routing element that tells the player to move to the left.
 * The right signpost is a routing element that tells the player to move to the right.
 * The fork signpost is a routing element that tells the player they can move either way.
 * The downward arrow is a routing element that tells the player exactly where to fall.

Trap Elements

 * The fake ground block looks almost identical to a regular ground block, with a slight discoloration and no collision.
 * The invisible spike element has the same hitbox as a spike but is invisible. This is mostly used as a death void.

Development
The game was initially written in Kaboom.js, before the developers transitioned to using Kaplay.js, a JavaScript library for creating games more efficiently. The development process focused on creating an engaging and interactive experience for players. The game includes a full system with level selection, customization, and multiplayer features. Supabase handles player presence and other backend functionalities.

Many of the levels are created through the level editor, accessed here. The game's development team consists of five main developers and a few level designers who create and publish new levels regularly. Interestingly, levels are released one at a time instead of in a batch like many other games, so speedruns of the entire game become outdated very quickly.

Features
Character Customization: Players can choose and customize different types of onions as their characters.  Multiplayer Mode: The game offers a multiplayer mode where players can compete or cooperate with others.  Level Selection: Players can choose from various levels, each with unique challenges.  Achievements: The game includes achievements that players can unlock as they progress. 