GAME DEVELOPMENT / ASSIGNMENT 02

Naura / 0356798 / Interactive Spatial Design
DST61104 / Games Development
Assignment 02: Art Asset Development

JUMP LINKS:

• Assignment 1
• PDF / SLIDES
• Video Presentation

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Instruction:

• Develop art assets for their game projects, including characters, environments, items, props, obstacles, power-ups, and HUD (Heads-Up Display) elements.
• Create cohesive and visually engaging elements to enhance the gameplay experience.

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I opted for a simple pixel art style to ensure I could complete my assets on time, given the depth of lore I wanted to weave into the game. I used Aseprite, as it made avoiding aliasing much easier compared to the extra steps required in Procreate. I was especially inspired by Penusbmic's pixel style—simple yet incredibly clean—which I think fits perfectly with the dark sci-fi fantasy vibe of my game, most of these assets are based on his work and I just modified the animations and color.

I'd like this chance to say that a lot of things changed especially in terms of the skills that the player as well as the enemies have. So, without further ado, I'd like to introduce to my protagonist Aeron who is a gravity user, which means he can flip to stand on the ceiling at will. His attack uses a gun (which adds the sci-fi element to my game) instead of the gravity infused punches I wanted (i think it'll be harder to code in the future AHA):

Also I'd like to add that I have no idea why some assets the quality is better than the others...

Aeron's Animations:

• Idle
• Move
• Melee Attack (Gun 1)
• Ranged Attack (Gun 2)
• Jump
• Fall
• Roll
• Hit
• Death

Fig 1.0 | Aeron Idle

Fig 1.1 | Aeron Melee Attack

Fig 1.2 | Aeron Ranged Attack

Fig 1.3 | Aeron Jump

Fig 1.4 | Aeron Fall

Fig 1.5 | Aeron Roll

Fig 1.6 | Aeron Hit

Fig 1.7 | Aeron Death

These are the NPCs, or his guildmates, that he needs to rescue. They only have an idle animation, as once they’re saved, they’re turned into "collectible" icons and they are drawn in a more TINY style.

NPC's Idle Animations:

• Sarah
• Barlo
• Kjeld
• Marissa

Fig 2.0 | NPC Sarah

Fig 2.1 | NPC Barlo

Fig 2.2 | NPC Kjeld

Fig 2.3 | NPC Marissa

Enemy Mob 01 Animations: Wraith

• Waking (When Player is in range)
• Walk
• Attack
• Hit
• Summoned (Occurs in stage 5)
• Death

Fig 3.0 | Wraith Wake

Fig 3.1 | Wraith Walk

Fig 3.2 | Wraith Attack

Fig 3.3 | Wraith Hit

Fig 3.4 | Wraith Summoned

Fig 3.5 | Wraith Death

Enemy Mob 02 Animations: Abyssal

• Idle
• Walk
• Attack
• Hit
• Death

Fig 4.0 | Abyssals Idle

Fig 4.1 | Abyssals Walk

Fig 4.2 | Abyssals Attack

Fig 4.3 | Abyssals Hit

Fig 4.4 | Abyssals Death

Abyssal's Projectile Animations:

• Travel
• Burst

Fig 5.0 | Projectile Travel

Fig 5.1 | Projectile Burst

Enemy Mob 03 Animations: Colossi

• Idle
• Walk
• Attack 1
• Attack 2
• Hit
• Death

Fig 6.0 | Colossi Idle

Fig 6.1 | Colossi Walk

Fig 6.2 | Colossi Attack 1 (Stomp)

Fig 6.3 | Colossi Attack 2 (Snap)

Fig 6.4 | Colossi Hit

Fig 6.5 | Colossi Death

Mini Boss Animations: Kieran

• Idle
• Move
• Melee Attack
• Ranged Attack
• Range Poison
• Death

Fig 7.0 | Kieran Idle

Fig 7.1 | Kieran Move

Fig 7.2 | Kieran Melee Attack

Fig 7.3 | Kieran Ranged Attack

Fig 7.4 | Kieran's Range Poison

Fig 7.5 | Kieran Death

Final Boss Animations: Caesar (Unfinished)

• Idle
• Summoning
• Double Slash

Fig 8.0 | Caesar Idle

Fig 8.1 | Caesar Summoning Dark Elementals

Fig 8.2 | Caesar Double Slash

Obstacles: Traps + Enemies

• Spikes
• Sword Slicing
• Zapping Machine
• Circular Saw
• Wasp
• The Hive

Fig 9.1.0 | Spikes

Fig 9.1.1 | Sword Slicing

Fig 9.1.2 | Zapping Machine

Fig 9.1.3 | Circular Saw

Fig 9.1.4 | Wasp Flying

Fig 9.1.5 | The Hive

Background Tile Sets:

Fig 9.2.0 | The base Tile Set

Fig 9.2.1 | (Blood) Trees Tile Set

Fig 9.2.1 | Underground Dungeon Tile Set

Fig 9.2.2 | Victorian Dungeon Tile Set

What has been done:

• Character: Aeron, NPCS animations
• Mini-Boss: Keiran Sprite and Animations
• Final Boss: Caesar Idle, Summon, Melee Animations
• Enemies: Dark Elementals Sprites and Animations
• Obstacles: Traps and mini-enemies animations
• Collectibles Animations
• Game UI
• Backgrounds

What has yet been done:

• Final Boss: Caesar Moving, Range Attack, Finisher, Death, Hit Animations
• Obstacles: Moving and Disappearing Platforms Animations
• ALL Characters Sound Effects
• Background Music

My slides:

GAME DEV - ASMT 02 

My Presentation Video:

Reflection:

Creating game assets for my game turned out to be more challenging than I anticipated! I didn’t expect the issue that arose from using different pixel sizes for the background and characters – it made my monsters and characters stand out in a way that didn’t blend well with the background. I also realized that lacking a defined art style led to inconsistency and a lack of coherence in the visuals. On top of that, it just didn’t look quite right – it felt cluttered, maybe because I’m not a professional designer like those indie game artists. So, I decided to simplify everything and go for a more minimalistic approach.

Animation brought its own set of challenges. Planning each frame was tricky, especially since I didn’t want the monsters to look static or have repetitive death sequences. I wanted each death or attack to feel unique, so I kept trying to come up with new ways for both monsters and the player to die – which was surprisingly fun!

Designing backgrounds was enjoyable, though. One moment, I’d think, 'Oh! This layout has a cool manhwa-style dungeon vibe,' and the next, I’d imagine a challenging layout for the player. But then I’d remember I have to playtest it, and I’d think, 'Okay, maybe not,' since I’m not a fan of overly challenging gameplay.

But in the end, I learned that game design is all about iteration and refining. It's okay if things don’t look perfect on the first try – each setback pushed me to think critically about my choices, simplify where needed, and focus on what enhances the player’s experience. I realized that sometimes, less is more, and finding a consistent style, even if simple, can bring everything together beautifully. Plus, I gained a lot of patience and appreciation for the process, which makes each little victory feel even more rewarding.