Salvation and Shadows | Turn-based Strategy | Team of 5 students | Co-producer, UX Designer | Custom Engine | 2020-2021
Overview
Salvation and Shadows is a turn-based combat game where the player has to fight 3 different enemies to try and escape the storybook they are trapped in using a combination of elements. Originally, the game was intended to be a dungeon-crawler rogue-like with turn-based combat. Essentially, we were looking for The Binding of Isaac combined with the combat system from Paper Mario. However, we quickly realized we were vastly over scoped for the project and eventually narrowed it down to just the combat system. We also had intended to incorporate a level selection of some sort, like a Slay the Spire, but it also had to be cut. The game was built over the course of 8 months using a custom engine that our programmers made during those 8 months.
The original concept of the game was a roguelike dungeon crawler. Unfortunately, this was very overscoped with the resources we had so this got cut. I own none of the art assets.
When the dungeon crawler didn't work out, the game was going to have a map system with the roguelike elements, similar to Slay the Spire, but it was ultimately taken out due the game still being overscoped. I own none of the art assets.
This is how our combat looked in the final project. If I could make changes, I would put move both the player and enemy down as well as move the player's health to the top-left corner. All art was made by me.
The original concept of the game was a roguelike dungeon crawler. Unfortunately, this was very overscoped with the resources we had so this got cut. I own none of the art assets.
My contributions
I was the co-producer of this game so I was responsible for looking out for deadlines, as well as making sure everyone was staying healthy mentally and physically. I also created wireframes for the game and most of the art assets, except for some particles. The trailer for the game was also edited by me. The team also did not have anyone for audio, so I helped find assets.
Challenges we faced
With the idea that we started with, we were way over scoped and had to cut a lot of the systems. Another challenge was that our team consisted of 3 programmers and 2 designers. During the time, we were all working and testing remotely. Our team also had no artists on the team so I stepped into the role, but no one stepped up for audio. Overall, the team is proud of what we were able to accomplish given the challenges and resources we had.
What I would change
Looking back at this project, I would make a few minor changes to how the game flows from combat to combat, like having the screen fade in and out for combat. In terms of major changes, I would change UI of the game around so that the layout is less compact as well as the player's health being in the top-left corner of the screen, so it is more distinguished than the enemy's health on the right. The biggest change that I would make would be the font. It does not match the game's aesthetic at all and should be something less serious and more cartoon-y.
How I would move forward
If I had more time on this game, I would put one or two of the systems that got cut back in. The system that I would have prioritized first was what we called the "Badge System" where players got "badges" that would power-up their attacks. I believe this would have added another interesting layer to the game where players felt more powerful. The other system that I would put back in is the map because it would be a more visually appealing representation of the player's progress rather than having a jump cut to the next fight.