Developer Sraëka Lillian has released a collection of 31 “RPG sketches” on Itch.io, providing an experimental look at the design conventions found in classics like Dragon Quest and Final Fantasy. Each project was developed in a one-week timeframe, serving as a study into specific mechanics such as heist-style stealth, dungeon shortcuts, and common RPG environment tropes.
Focusing on Genre Conventions
Lillian’s series aims to isolate and explore the “hoary old conventions” of the genre—such as the layout of castles, the function of item shops, and the impact of encounter difficulty on player movement. Rather than aiming for polished, complete retail experiences, these sketches function as design exercises.
Key experiments in the collection include:
- Keep Wishing: A study of heist-style stealth puzzles, focusing on how level geometry can replace traditional combat encounters.
- Shortest Path: An exploration of how high encounter difficulty influences the player's navigation and search for shortcuts through dungeons.
- Mencollector: A lighter, looser experiment involving map exploration and object collection mechanics.
Design Philosophy
Accompanying the games are detailed design notes that offer insight into Lillian’s creative process. In the notes for the project Butterfly's Big Knife Fight, the developer describes the series as a method to overcome personal creative anxieties. The goal is to develop a more “fearless” approach to game creation by committing to weekly, iterative output rather than perfectionism.
For players interested in more substantial work from the same developer, Lillian is also the creator of Cataphract OI, a completed game that tasks players with escorting a character through a dungeon under strict time and health constraints.