Game: Crimson Keep - Released in 2018/19 on Windows (Steam) XBONE, PS4, and Switch.
Role: Game designer, level designer, producer, 3d/2d artist, writer, and sound designer.
Crimson Keep is a game that blends the loot, randomization and re-playability of Diablo with the in your face, first person action of Hexen. I'm a lover of these 90's classics and am proud to be making my dream game. You can learn more about it here: http://www.escapecrimsonkeep.com/
The project has been an amazing opportunity for learning. From diving into the game's code and editing visual scripting, to dealing with contractors and QA feedback, it's been amazing. I've worn a many hats for the project, even getting to direct my voice actors live. But my everyday tasks were balancing equipment, abilities, enemies, loot tables, and difficulty, as well as creating all the art and levels.
It's a hard game, because I'm always looking to create those moments where the player just barely survives. Beaten and bloody, starving, with 3 arrows left, you defeat the final boss. Since the game's launch I've had the chance to try and refine or fix balance issues such as not enough items dropping, and enemies with mechanics that feel unfair. Alot of the feedback has been like it or hate it, and maybe at this point the game is still too difficult or niche, but it has always been my plan to continue working on and improving this game over time. The randomness/roguelite design is especially well suited to periodically adding content that enriches the whole game instead of simply adding a set amount of content to the end.
Here's an example of some of the enemy mechanics and interactions:
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Pigmen eat the corpses of non-undead enemies, resulting in a heal/buff that makes them even more dangerous.
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Rock Golems are near immune to physical damage unless hit in a weak spot that the player must aim for.
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Skeletal swordsmen perform a quick counterattack if attacked from the front.
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Ghouls/zombies become very fast if fresh blood is shed around them. (Romero to 28 days later)
