The Bromance of Gilgamesh started as a slight tongue-in-cheek game jam project for my advanced game design class. The course emphasized cross-disciplinary team collaborations, so the larger goal was for the students to become familiar with their fellow classmates and get used to the idea of working together with others on a creative endeavor.

Like the previous game design course, the class emphasized classical texts and converting narratives and themes into gameplay. Our first story was the Epic of Gilgamesh, and this game jam focused "gamifying" tablets one through five in just one week.

The titular "bromance" refers to the budding friendship that arises from the tyrant king Gilgamesh and the wild man Enkidu. To represent this, we created three levels. The first two levels introduce mechanics and elements specific to each hero, while the third level has both heroes working together, combining their abilities to win the day.
The Man of the Wild, Enkidu
The first level introduces the character Enkidu, who was born to the wilderness. Enkidu is agile and lithe, capable of great speeds and jumping height. His instincts guide him to hunter traps that he must disable, just as in the text. (The number at the top of the screen signifies the player's distance to the nearest trap.)

After foiling the hunters, blurring and sun shaft image effects guide the player to a prostitute that will cure Enkidu of his animalistic nature.
The Bromance of Gilgamesh
– Role: Programmer
– Four team members
– Three Levels
The Tyrant King, Gilgamesh
Two Guys, a Demon, and a Dark Forest
(I swear, this scene is directly from the text and in good taste!)
In the second level, players take control of Gilgamesh within his kingdom. Enkidu is protecting a virgin that Gilgamesh was about to seize, and the king lacks the strength to push him aside.

As Gilgamesh, the player must scour the city, searching for women and gold valuables to grow in power and dominance. The stronger Gilgamesh gets, the more people and items he can push aside. Eventually, Gilgamesh will acquire the strength he needs to overcome Enkidu.
The two former rivals have now become the best of friends and must cooperate to slay the demon Huwawa. Enkidu retains his ability to unset traps, and his animal instincts direct the player through the forest. (However, after his encounter with the prostitute, his wild nature has been tamed and he can no longer run as fast or jump as high.) Gilgamesh is still as strong as ever and can cut down trees, logs, and bushes to navigate the forest.

It is impossible for any one hero to survive the forest alone, so the player must switch between each protagonist as the situation calls for it. In this way, the two become a force greater than any one of its parts. This bond is highly emphasized in the early parts of the text and is central to the narrative as a whole.