Phantasm
Beat.
Phantasm Beat.
OVERVIEW
Background
Phantasm Beat is a bullet hell inspired game where players take on the story of a young boy who uses music to overcome his nightmares fabricated by his fears represented in each level.
This game was my teams submission for 2D Shoot-Out.
Challenge
In the span of one week, create a game that incorporates bullets/projectiles or aspects of bullet hell games, with the optional theme of “10 seconds”.
Objective
Create a game that focuses in on the theme, visuals, audio, desirable user experience + onboarding), creativity, and fun.
My Roles
UX Design
Visual Design
My Team
Adrian Piwin (Developer)
Ivy Minjung Koo (Narrative design)
Navneel Nair & Keith Jones (Music)
Tools
Unity, Aesprite,
Mural, Trello
Duration
1 week
DESIGN PLANNING
Constructing the Player Experience
We established that we would make a bullet hell type game with rapid character movement that would challenge the players reaction time. Before deciding on the mechanics, we stated the objective of the game, which gave us a clear idea of how the levels would be beat. The flow chart below was the mechanics of the original version, but after user testing and gathering feedback, the mechanics had slightly changed to simplify the controls by only requiring WASD keys, Shift key, and the space bar.
Once we established the mechanics of the game and how a player would complete a level, we then developed a game flow. We considered the time frame of the project and decided on making three total levels with additional functions. Within each level, would be constructed in similar sequences but with added difficulty as the players progress through each level.
Concept Ideas
As a team, we had brainstormed different concept ideas for the game. We approached this project with emphasis on storytelling. Through brainstorming concept ideas, Ivy constructed the narrative of the game using the theme of overcoming fears in the form of symbolism.
(Notes from team meetings written by Ivy)
Game Narrative
Using the teams agreed upon concept ideas, Ivy constructed the narrative of the game and levels based on emotions and end goal.
(Chart by Ivy)
Moodboards for level design
Taking inspiration from other top down pixel games, the moodboards were used to develop each level’s theme. Each theme was designed to represent the mood of the character and portray his fears with the use of colors, metaphors, and atmosphere.
The images used for each moodboard were selected using keywords we were targeting.
Level 1 – Fear of change
Lack of sense of direction, anxious
Level 2 – Fear of judgement
Altered and untrue to self
Level 3 – Fear of loss & acceptance
In denial, lost and confused
Game Music
Music is a key component for the games narrative and influences the player experience. For this reason, my team set guidelines for the music creators to follow:
- Incorporate the theme of the level into each song.
- Each song should be a loop
- Use a higher bpm for each level (increasing for level difficulty)
The game ended up consisting of 5 songs produced by the music artists: menu, level 1, level 2, level 3, end scene music.
Animation
Along with learning how to create pixel art, I was also challenged to learn how to animate using sprite sheets.
Animated assets:
- Main character
- Kraken (Lvl 1 boss)
- Clown (Lvl 2 boss)
- Ghost (Lvl 3 boss)
- Background objects
Additional sprite variations:
- Walking directions
- Idle stance
- Talking movement
Dynamic & Accessible Design
Color Changing Assets
Some asset was imported as white png to allow the developer to change the colors by adding color filters. This saved time by using the same assets for each round to adjust the theme of the levels.
Cognitive Affordance & Accessibility
1. Rhythm ring
The “rhythm ring” allows users to identify the beat of the song based on bpm of the song’s level. Based on the color and size of the ring, it will inform the players when to dash and attack. Sizing included for inclusivity purposes for those with color blindness or hearing impairment. It was also discussed to change the rhythm based on the rhythm of the song for futuer iterations.
2. Boss Damage
To enhance players attack and response, each boss has an animated shake and red flash that lasts 2 seconds when hit by a players attack. This was implemented to improve awareness while also adding the player satisfaction for a direct hit.
Level Design – Theme and Enemy Boss
The following images consist of the final design of the enemy boss, and a 2D visual reference of each level’s plain for the developer to recreate in a 2.5D perspective for the final design.
Level 1 – Fear of change
Level 2 – Fear of judgement
Level 3 – Fear of loss & acceptance
FINAL ADJUSTMENTS
Due to the time frame of the project, we were not able to properly test out the game prior to submission. Hence, we did not realize that our game mechanics were too difficult until recieving feedback from other developers and designers who tested out our game.
Once coming back to the project, we collected all the feedback, ran tested the games with the team, and made modification to the games mechanics.
Here’s what changed:
1. Removed the use of a mouse
This was done to decrease the difficulty in coordination and dexterity by only requiring keyboard buttons. The current active keys are all playable by one hand, making the game more accessible for players with disabilities.
2. Removed the requirement to “charge an attack”
Attempting to catch the bullets to charge an attack made the game too difficult and discouraged the challenge of having to dodge bullets.
3. Removing the need to aim
Attacks are sent using the space bar and can only move in one direction. This adds a new but less stressful challenge for the players to train their timing and tracking in order for an attack to hit.
4. Added new Boss Movements
To mitigate decreasing the difficulty of the game, each boss is constantly moving throughout the level, and have new special attack moves. This was done to increase the use of the dash feature as players need to use it to avoid these special attacks. This feature also removes repetitiveness to keep players engaged.
Takeaway
For this project, I focused on the goal of keeping the game emotionally and visually engaging. I realized that being devoted and inspired to make an impactful user experience can influence stronger design decisions and drive.
I challenged myself a lot with this project by taking on tasks I had never done before (ie. creating pixel art, learning how to animate). I also strengthened my collaborative skills. I realized the importance of keeping tabs on each of your teammates when developing a game with different types of designers.
I have to do more than just “finishing my part and passing it on” it is important to follow up with work you share, offering ideas to members, and making sure you are all in the same place throughout the entire project.
