Alain Aebersold developed the prototype Bijou as part of the CAS Games & Play in Virtual Spaces course, with the aim of creating a hand-drawn 2D game. The project focused on the Metroidvania genre, which emphasises exploration and gradual progression, while seeking to deliver a dense and atmospheric play experience.
In Bijou, players guide a character in a yellow raincoat carrying an umbrella, on a quest to find a runaway cat within a sprawling 2D world. Advancement is not tied to combat but to the discovery of new abilities that successively unlock new areas of the game. With progress so closely linked to the character's abilities, the focus was on level design, which draws inspiration from established genre references.
Particular attention was paid to the visual style and quality: specially illustrated elements, a unique colour palette and a parallax effect gave the game world a distinctive look. Combined with responsive controls, crafted animations, and an integrated sound design, the result is a prototype that demonstrates how atmosphere, narrative, and mechanics can interweave to form a coherent and engaging 2D experience.