A former UCA gradaute following his creative passions in game jams, artwork and mods.
Last of the Flame
For this project I had to create a pitch for a game in the form of a trailer (which also required "gameplay" footage). The game idea I settled on was the idea of a fast-paced action RPG centered around the use of timing the player's heavy melee, fast crossbow and their ability to dodge. This game would be featured in a stylistic dark-fantasy world, where the player takes control of a mysterious lady known as "Nikai".
I had begun drafting up game ideas shortly before the project began, this was by sketching a concept for the main character. I was quite fond of how the design appeared, and from the weapons she was drawn with, I began to design how she would play. One of the core inspirations for the gameplay was 'CrossCode', an indie title comprised of quick paced top-down gameplay, that also utilized the combination of melee and projectile styled combat.
CrossCode by Radical Fish Games (2015)
GIF Source [Updated 10/04/18]
To differ from CrossCode, I wanted to drift away from the faster and lighter pacing of combat, in favor of a heavier and more deliberate one, meaning the player would have to be careful of when and how they should strike. Furthermore, the projectiles would be limited, meaning although the player would be able to use them as a ranged attack to pick off small foes and chip away at larger ones, they wouldn't be able to use it primarily and would have to engage in close-range combat on occasion. From this I created a mock-up:
Eventually, after spriting the character's running animation I implemented them into Unity, using the 3D functionality to create depth when shifted to a 2D perspective. Unfortunately, this version lacked normal maps, as the sprite art took most of the time I had available and as a result, a lot of corners had to be cut. I only created as many sprites that were needed in my original trailer draft, as well as having to simplify the style to create assets faster, resulting in the enemies' simpler designs.
Despite these issues however, this project did result in work that I feel personally proud of, such as the UI design and NPC character concepts, and designing a game from the ground up in tone, visuals, story and gameplay was something I found enjoyable. On top of that, I learned a few skills in video editing, as well as designing a trailer.
