Stormbreaker
Game Design & Game Programming
Mobile casual game
Unreal Capstone project- Technical Game Design (3C)
About The Game
Details
Stormbreaker is my capstone project from ISART Digital, where I worked as a Game Designer & Programmer focusing on the 3C (Character, Camera, Controls).
Embark on an epic journey in a world threatened by a raging storm! Play as Liv, a nimble adventurer with aerial acrobatics, and navigate treacherous landscapes to reach the heart of the storm. Save the world before it’s too late!
-
8 month
-
5 people
-
Tools
-
Unity 3D and Unity Assets
-
Google Workspace (documentation)
-
Perforce Helix Core (versioning)
-
-
Responsibilities
-
Game Design
-
Programming
-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Avant Propos – Keep It Simple, Keep It Fun
📍 Designed for the Gala Showcase : At the end of the year, our game would be played by industry professionals in a social event - not in a quiet, focused gaming session. People would be chatting, drinking, and moving between games, so we had to ensure:
✔️ Instantly understandable mechanics, Just pick up and play.
✔️ A short and polished experience, Players should "get it" within 10 seconds.
✔️ A familiar genre, Platformers are universal; no complex mechanics like 4X that could alienate non-gamers.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Design Philosophy – Simple, Smooth, Accessible
The goal was an accessible experience, ensuring that both gamers and non-gamers could grasp the game instantly. We wanted to create something fun and immediate that the player would understand within 10 seconds.
Exemple of gameplay we aimed for once we got an idea of rythm and feel of the gameplay :
_gif.gif)
_gif.gif)
The Big Dilemma: Precision vs. Trajectory
-
Platformers usually fall into two categories:
🎯 Precision Platformers (Celeste) - Every jump counts, and tight controls are key.
🌪️ Trajectory Platformers (Sonic) - Movement is all about speed and momentum.
-
This choice defined the game’s core. In the end, we leaned toward Trajectory, but rather than relying on physics-based momentum, we designed movement around chaining abilities to stay off the ground. A key inspiration? The Messenger’s "double-jump reset system".
Here a quick showcase of when I push the ability reseting "too far" in late iteratons.
-
This debate shaped early discussions between the level design and art teams. As the sole 3C designer and programmer, I focused on aligning with the team rather than pushing my own ideas.
-
Looking back, I now realize I should have been more structured in explaining the long-term consequences of each approach. I once created a detailed document breaking down the differences between precision vs. trajectory platforming, but I wish I had pushed that discussion harder. A well-argued case could have saved us a lot of trial and error later.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
Exemple of the iteration process with slopes :
Proto 0 of computing slopes...
_gif.gif)
....integration with more control "on off slope acceleration"
In game test of the feature with art and level design.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Compromise
Making an accessible platformer wasn’t just about simple controls also we had to ensure the design fit within both our team’s constraints and the Gala showcase format.
-
Horizontal movement felt great, but longer levels put too much strain on the art team.
-
Vertical movement gave players freedom, but broke level design by allowing them to bypass challenges too easily.
The Trade-Offs
There was no perfect solution. Every design choice is a trade-off, and all we could do was ensure that our decisions aligned with the core experience we wanted to deliver: a polished, accessible game that could be enjoyed within 10 seconds at the Gala.
smoothing the angles :
In early version the player could glide and also stomp. Stomp gave extra acceleration in slope.
Also you can notice that the dash wasn't physic based since LD wanted it to be a constant metric that help recover from bad jump.
Here a more advance version of the game with a "super jump" column that adapt to the ground and also reset player ability, pretty fun.
More advance ability reseting, gliding, stomping mecanics were removed.
Many Features Were Cut
We cut mechanics that were too complex for a showcase environment. The goal ? A game that anyone could pick up and enjoy in seconds.
We refined, simplified, and stripped down the game to its cleanest, most intuitive form, choosing polish and cohesion over experimentation and risk.
Here some exemple of extension that where not develloped further :
because of course i had to play along with gravity...
and also give ability to put air column on the wall as well as on the ground
All this LD i tried and commented mid prod was entirely cut :
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Final Result & Reflections
Industry Feedback
At the final showcase, industry veterans praised how smooth and satisfying the movement felt. Mission accomplished !!
Of course, looking back, I know that no one is going to tear apart a student project to your face, even if was craving real feedback and critique. That said, our focus on team cooperation and accessibility was recognized and complimented, and I even had one-on-one conversations with seniors in the industry who genuinely congratulated my work. That alone made me incredibly happy!
Personal Takeaway
While I’m proud of what we built, I do wonder: should we have taken more risks ? Student games are a rare chance to go wild, and by sanding down every rough edge, we may have lost some of that creative spark.
But at the same time, we made this game together. My job wasn’t to make my game, it was to make the best game possible for the team and the showcase. And in that regard, Stormbreaker is a success.
If anything, this project lit a fire in me to keep improving and pushing myself so i would do even better on the next game I will work on !
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Currently the best score is 3:32 :
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------