CuBlight is an abstract isometric roguelike made for our GAM350 class in my Junior year.
Our goal for the project was to create a fun, abstract atmosphere using
only primative shapes and limited visual assets. We did not have an artist
on the team, meaning that we had to stick to very simplistic models outside
of the assets in the game that were base primitives.
The game is very simple,
you start at a specific position on a 2x2 grid map and work your way from top to bottom,
each level expanding the size of the map on each axis. You can shoot, you can dash, and
you can "execute" enemies by dashing into them while they're low on health. You gain
EXP from defeating enemies and can receive "perks" on level up to accentuate your arsenal. There is a boss at the end of the game.
Our team was large (12 people) and I was a late addition, but I took
up the role of "Quality Director" and Gameplay Designer. I helped design
the EXP system and the implementation of dashing and executions, as well as the hat system.
I regularly offered direction on user experience design, and helped guide some technical implementation.
During my role as a quality director, I was in charge of documentation between commits and builds,
as well as presenting information to shareholders and driving presentations.
As mentioned, our team composition left some artistic limitations; when I was brought onto the team, the theme of "simplistic primitives" was already decided. The rest of the team was dedicated to using simple geometric shapes to represent everything in the game. I voiced concerns about this decision when we quickly ran out of simple shapes to use that would appropriately deliver adequate amounts of significance and feedback. I guided the team away from this design decision while keeping the core aesthetic intact.
The project received higher than a 5/5.