Slinging Swords
Academic Solo Project - Designer and Creator
Description
Slinging Swords is a top down single screen combat game where the player fights off waves of enemies using an army of flying swords. Slinging Swords is a game that seeks to evoke the catharsis of games, like Fruit Ninja, while adding the additional challenge of controlling a character.
Key Achievements
Combat System
My original plan with this combat system was a focus on strategy and proper maneuvering of swords. However, I also had a goal of keeping the controls simple and easy to pickup. In order to support the catharsis of using the swords. This created a clash where adding complexity pulled from the catharsis and simplicity. I eventually decided to change gears and focus on pushing the catharsis as that is where I saw the most engagement. So, I took inspiration from games like fruit ninja and cut out many of the complexities from the system. This resulted in a system that was more simple and enjoyable for players.
Balancing
When working on this game I went out of my way to do math for my enemies and player stats. My goal was to balance the game in order to create a curve for players to get into a flow state. I did many calculations on wave progression and how enemy stats progress. I looked at enemy combined health at different waves and how long that would take the player to finish the wave at different damage values. As well as the potential threats based on the enemies on screen.