Hey there! I’m one of the creators behind Exhausted Man, an absurdist sitcom about an exhausted life coming to PS5 and PS4 on July 25. In this game, the protagonist can only crawl and does everything lying down. You can see it in the trailer below.
Today I want to tell you how I designed such strange characters.
Origin
It all started with the phrase: lack of energy, which became the topic of a proper game jam. I like participating in such events because creating a game from scratch in 48 hours is a great way to relax.
Based on the theme, I came up with the idea of “people running out of energy” and created a straightforward character who was lying on a couch. I posted a screenshot and got a ton of likes – not because of my modeling skills, but because of the resonance of exhaustion the character exuded.
I decided to create a game with this exhausted character – so he couldn’t just sit hunched over on the couch, he had to move. We all know how our bodies feel when we’re really tired, standing wasn’t an option, so I had him crawl around on the floor.
This crawling animation got even more likes. I tested the crawling maneuver on the ground in real life and it hurt all over. But since people liked it, I left it.
Crawl like a worm
To be able to crawl, especially on walls, humans have to learn from insects. First, we created a ladybug that can crawl on any surface in a 3D environment.
The character’s head could copy the way a ladybug moves, but there was still a long body behind the head that needed to be accounted for. What kind of insect is that? Caterpillars. So we introduced a feature called caterpillar bones, which anchors the body to the environment based on the position of the head. So when you see a person crawling in the game, it’s actually based on the inner workings of a crawling caterpillar.
Soft as pasta
For a long time, the character’s body was that of a normal human, with pliant arms and legs divided into two parts. Although he could only crawl, he was at least a little bit human. Until our artist drew some promotional graphics.
We liked the art so much that we thought it was okay, even if it wasn’t all that human—he’s exhausted, right? So we broke every bone into petite pieces, giving the character’s limbs the flexibility of pasta.
Variable energy states
The hero must complete various events to reach the goal of the night, and their energy state will change accordingly. For example, eating something raises energy. After eating, the character’s head will glow gold, and they will gain more speed and strength. On the other hand, when the character fixes a game bug, it will have the opposite effect. The character’s face will become exhausted and they will start yawning a lot. Yawning bubbles also put the character to sleep.
But no matter the energy level of the characters, they will never get up! Exhausted Man is coming to PS5 and PS4 on July 25. Can you assist the destitute sleeping hero survive the night?
