Devlog 24 - Storyboarding the Jackstrap Promo Video

Summary

This update was focused on the Jackstrap promo video.

The goal is to make a short vertical video that explains the game quickly: the joke, the objective, the enemies, and the actual gameplay underneath.

The tone I want is serious delivery of a stupid premise.

The video is becoming less of a random trailer idea and more of a clear pitch for what Jackstrap actually is.

What changed?

  • Improved the video storyboard.

  • Defined the promo as a vertical, gameplay-first video.

  • Broke the video into clearer scenes:

    • cold open
    • premise
    • objective
    • core gameplay
    • combo building
    • character styles
    • elemental effects
    • escalation montage
    • end card

  • Planned the cold open around immediate action:

    • Jack surrounded by nutcrackers
    • enemies flying from hits
    • camera shake
    • impact flashes
    • dust
    • damage numbers

  • Clarified the basic pitch:

    • You are Jack.
    • Jack is a living jockstrap.
    • The Family Jewels are under attack.
    • The enemies are the Nutcracker Legion.

  • Planned how to show the core gameplay:

    • move
    • position
    • interrupt enemies
    • protect the objective

  • Planned a combo-building scene where the player builds a sequence, then immediately sees it happen in gameplay.

  • Planned a character-style section showing different Jack builds and specials.

  • Planned an elemental-effects section to compare normal, fire, electric, and special effects.

  • Made a rough storyboard sketch to start visualizing the video.

What I'm unsure about?

  • I still need to decide exactly how the Family Jewels work as an objective.
  • The video depends on that decision, because the objective needs to be clear in just a few seconds.

Open questions

  • Are the Family Jewels a central defendable objective?
  • How much of the final game should the video imply?
  • How much can be shown as a mock-up without misleading people?
  • What is the clearest way to explain the game in a short vertical video?

Next steps

  • Finalize the objective shown in the video.
  • Turn the rough storyboard into clearer scene sketches.
  • List the missing assets needed for each shot.
  • Build the most important gameplay mock-up shots.
  • Add or test:
    • camera shake
    • knockback
    • impact flashes
    • dust
    • damage numbers
    • UI mock-ups
    • attack sound effects
  • Prepare a first rough version of the promo video.