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Overview
Gameplay
Pillars
Overview
Koala Krawler is a top-down 2D roguelike dungeon crawler. Engage in close quarters melee combat, explore the dungeon, and find powerful items that aid you in your quest to defeat the boss.
Gameplay Pillars
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Melee combat
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Enemy diversity
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Exploration
Melee Combat
I fine tuned the damage, attack speed, and hit boxes to make using the sword feel fluid and fast paced. Mastering the combat requires constant movement and effective use of the knock-back effect.
Enemy Diversity
I implemented 3 unique enemy types to provide the player with a wide range of combat experiences. The Ninja Patrol is a lighting fast yet weak opponent. The Ninja Sword Master is a slower but more challenging enemy with a devastating knock-back effect. The Ninja Gunner is a long range rapid fire adversary the requires precise timing to defeat.
Exploration
I designed the layout of the dungeon with multiple different ways to navigate the level. You choose your path and unlock the doors in any order. I wanted reward the player for exploring every area of the dungeon so I hid a variety of items off the beaten path.
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Room
Locked Room
Key Room
Boss Key
Boss Room
End Goal
Item
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Gameplay Loop
I designed a captivating gameplay that revolved around exploring, killing, and collecting. Choose your own path and see what you can find as you explore the dungeon. Kill all enemies within each room to unlock the doors and proceed through the level. Collect various items from dead enemies or find them hidden away.
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Deflecting Projectiles
Players found it difficult to dodge projectiles and get close enough to melee the long range enemies. I created the bullet deflection mechanic to effectively counter projectile enemies while still using a melee attack. This produced an engaging combat challenge based on precise timing.
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Improving Deflection
Having students play test my game revealed that it was too hard to react and successfully deflect the projectiles in time. I didn't want to simply reduce the speed of the projectile because I wanted to create a precise timing challenge. I improved the deflect mechanic by providing the player with more feedback; I added a muzzle flash to barrel of the weapon and also included a gunshot sound effect. I triggered the muzzle flash and sound effect 0.5 seconds before the bullet is fired so players could predict the projectile rather than react to it.
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