Orkward Devlog #2: Meet da boyz!

Hello, I'm Joe and I'm making Orkward, the space ork dating game. I'll be cross-posting this devlog from its original home on itch.io to share my development journey with the Gamasutra community. Orkward is totally free to play on itch.io right now.

This second devlog was originally written back in Decemeber 2020 and has been very lightly edited here.

How, exactly, do you "date" an ork? Well, survival is the first priority - getting home safely is what we like to call "first base".  After that, well, we haven't actually got to second base with an ork yet. We'll endeavour to report back when we do.

All the artwork below is by Isaac Garabito. Isaac and I have been working for several weeks now, developing the styles and personalities of the orks. We don't have the time or budget for many art assets and intricate scenes - so we want to squeeze as much personality as we can from these pictures.

We've designed these orks to be bit diverse - as diverse as you can get in a highly violent, all-male society, anyway. I'm also trying to write a bit of humanity and pathos into each one to make them feel a little less than cartoons and a little more like real people. The script isn't quite there yet but we're getting closer! [Edit May 2021: still working on it!! -Joe]

You can play all five orks in the game right now, to completion. Although two of them  - the best two, obviously - are locked until you progress a bit.

So, let's meet da boyz!

Chompa

Chompa loves grog. He runs a ramshackle bar - but since the warboss has been keeping the orks busy, he's got no-one to drink with.

Maybe you'll share a tankard and a story with him?

Krugg

Krugg is a highly-strung ork mek. Assisted by his snotling mate, Boris, he's been busy trying to fix gear for the warboss.

Krugg's having trouble with his spooky bomb. Perhaps you'll find some fireworks together?

Wendy

Wendy is a reclusive ork who hangs around the outskirts of the camp. Wendy's not too talkative and just wants to finish his meal.

Er, don't tease him about his name.

Sharptoof

Sharptoof is a bit of an odd ork, with a love for mushrooms and a certain something you can't put your finger on.

Why not have a sample of Sharptoof's squig surprise?

Skullkrusha

Skullkrusha is the warboss: he's big, he's tuff, and he's really, really angry.

Someone needs to put the War back into his Waaargh!