ClusterCluck
ClusterCluck is a 2D top-down restaurant simulator with a narrative twist. Players play as two chickens who run a fast food joint where they make and sell chicken nuggets to other chicken customers. Read about our game process in more details here.
Concept Research
The game’s dining mechanics are inspired from restaurant management games like 'Overcooked' and 'Penguin Diner'. The dark humour and cannibalistic nature of the game is reminiscent of movies like 'The Menu' and 'Delicatessen' and games like 'Godlike Burger' and 'Cannibal Cuisine'. The cooking gameplay is combined with chicken sacrifice, bringing a darker take to the typical Overcooked formula.
Much of the early gameplay echoes other restaurant management games, where players must serve customers before their patience runs out to earn money. The pixel art style and background music serves to deepen that impression further. The twist occurs at the end of the game where one player must kill the other to serve the final customer when supplies of nuggets run out.
Gameplay
Clustercluck’s main gameplay mechanic revolves around cooking and preparing nuggets for customers. There are three main stations for cooking: the Meat Grinder, Batter Bucket & Deep Fryer. Additionally, there is also the Freezer, where raw meat is stored, and the Table, where players can put down items.
The players can press the [Interact] button to pick up items and bring them to the respective stations to be prepared. When an item is picked up, the player will carry it over their heads. Players can press [Interact] again to drop the item at its corresponding cooking station.
Some stations require no player input to function and will display a timer while processing the item. Other stations will require the player to interact with it to proceed. Each station is distinctly designed for clarity, and timers are displayed over the station while processing food.
Art Style
All assets in the game are made with pixel art. The environment is built with a 16x16px tileset. Similarly, players are represented by two 16x16px chicken sprites with different combs and flannels.
There will be 5 different types of customers visiting the diner. From left to right, a chicken dressed as Michael Thompson (a DigiPen lecturer), a Rhode Island chicken, and a Silkie chicken (and variations).
Additionally, all UI assets such as the instructional hints, player HP bar, revenue, timers etc. will also be designed with a pixel art style to ensure that the game has a consistent design language and style.
Role in the Team
I served as the art lead in a team of 10.
I mainly worked on the character design and animations of the players and customers, along with cutscenes relating to them. I also worked on the credits scene of the game.
Outside of my tasks, I oversee the other aspects of the game's art, such as environment, cooking stations and UI to ensure that the overall game feel cohesive.
