Godslayer
Download from itch.io!
For my capstone game project (Game Design II and III), I have teamed up with a handful of talented artists, writers and coders to make Godslayer. Godslayer is a turn-base time loop RPG featuring four playable characters fighting the final boss of their adventure to save their home. The goal is to strategically use the unlocked player skills to defeat the final boss five times. There would be character lore and relations revealed throughout the game loop that would lead to the discovery that the blurred final boss was the boss the team once fought in a previous adventure, and had fused with their passed teammate who died to seal the boss away before.
My Roles:
Character concept artist, style guide artist, sprite artist, animator, VFX artist, misc.
Programs Used: Clip Studio Paint, Adobe Animate
Character Art and Animation
Provided with the basic ideas of the four playable characters and two NPCs, the character concepts were well-accepted by both the team and the playtesters.
Style Conceptualization
As the main artist working on the in-game sprites, I made a style sheet to see what the team will deem best fit for the game. Testing out two styles I work best with, the team concluded with style 1, given additional changes. The team likes the idea of a ready battle stance, 4-head proportion chibi style with a good amoung of room left for outfit details. I've pitched verbally how the sprites can be shaded: cel-shade with light source pointing at the face and downwards, and highlights placed mainly on the eyes, hair, any metallic surfaces, and potentially magic particles (depending on character design later). The team approves of this idea and I left it open-ended that it's subject to change once the sprite art comes out.
The following character designs were developed from the loose descripitons from the writers of the team. I was provided with visual references of inspired characters along with verbal descriptions. A complimentary halfbody portrait sketch were sent to a fellow artist in the team to finish.
Friendly reminder: Body Horror and Gore warning for Abel and the final boss design.
Playable Character: Luna
Concept Art
Halfbody portrait sketch for in-game dialogue
Our first character, Luna, is an honorable moon-themed knight. Descendant of a royal lineage, Luna is meant to be the leader figure of the group, properly armored and wields a sword and dagger. With that in mind, I expect a character like her to be prioritizing practicaltiy over aesthetics. Starting with her hairstyle, I experimented with a ponytail, a short hair, and a half ponytail. The team unanimously agreed on the ponytail. I expect a knight to have battle scars and added two on her cheek. Referencing medieval and fantasy armor designs, I've put together a set of armor with moon motif, has a shoulder protector to add variety to the symmetrical armor design, dress-like armor on either side of the hips, and two flowy sash for a heroic aesthetic while theoretically not becoming a nuiance in battle. The color palette was instructed to be desaturated with a highlight color resembling moon. I've experimented with two shades of grey for the base armor and sash, while keeping the skin color, hair color, and armor highlight the same in both versions. After the team's review, we agreed on the darker grey design.
It was not added here in the concept sheet but Luna will have a moon flower on her shoulder between her shoulder armor and chest armor, as a subtle representation of her relationship with one of the playable characters: Rowan.
In-Game Sprites
Playable Character: Luciel
Concept Art
Halfbody portrait sketch for in-game dialogue
Our second character, Luciel, is a teenage assassin. Picked up by Luna during her early adventures, Luciel joined for the thrill of the kill on a righteous path. We expect him to be very "emo" and commit to the edgy theme, so I was adding everything I can think of that was considered cool when I was a teenager. Black 'n red color palette, hair covering the eye, dyed hair, eye shadow, hoodie with red 'scars', words in Mandarin/Kanji translating to "God of Death", and a highlight gold color. To lean more into the Asian element addition in his design, the team agrees he should have a katana, inspired by samurai, which we believe he would aspire to be just as powerful as. Luciel was the character I had the least struggle with design-wise.
In-Game Sprites
Playable Character: Rowan
Concept Art
Halfbody portrait sketch for in-game dialogue
Our third character, Rowan, is a barbarian with a big sister energy. She's meant to have a big build with more nature-related traits such as plant decorations and natural-textured weapons. I imagined her to be very practical in outfit and decided on short-hair styles, light outfit with less but thick armor, and a hatchet and a shield. Her colors would be more earth-toned and it wasn't much a struggle to decide on. The team intends to have Luna and Rowan to be a couple as a bonus to their lore, and so I decide their designs may share a moonflower and a galaxy-textured fabric. Subtle detail for those who are interested but doesn't feel out of character.
In-Game Sprites
Playable Character: Cain
Concept Art
Halfbody portrait sketch for in-game dialogue
Our fourth and final playable character, Cain, is a wizard
In-Game Sprites
NPC: Abel
Abel in-game portraits
Abel is Cain's twin mysterious twin brother who died before the time of the start of the game. He was meant to be the plot twist character that explains the time loop happening throughout the game. This is also hinted by Cain's ability to manipulate time during battle. His design is meant to share resemblence with Cain and surround the theme of time. Since he is a dead character, his outfit design is meant to be simpler, with white drapings and somewhat angelic. Due to his appearance in the game only limits to the character portraits and as part of the godly boss character, he only needed a partial design.
Final Boss
The final boss is a God, an all-powerful entity that the group is meant to defeat to bring peace to their hometown. Though obscured at the start of the game, with game progression it will reveal its horrific self of its fused being with the remains of the party's beloved and passed teammate, Abel. Given creative (and body-horrific) freedom of the design, I created the largest sprite design of the game. (More TBA)
The sprite animations were a collaborative effort between me and a fellow animator, Nick Schetman.
In-Game Sprites
Animated Visual Effects
I was eager to put in more frame-by-frame animation into the game while I had the chance. As part of the intended game experience, the team wanted visual effects when the players attack with each character. Despite we weren't able to implement any attack animation, we thought the visual effects can enhance the gameplay experience.
Below are the raw VFX, recording of in-game results coming soon...
Luna default attack
Luna explosive attack
Luciel default attack
Luciel big slash attack
Rowan default attack
Rowan shield protection
Rowan taunt effect
Cain default attack
Character buffed effect (set to be recolored in game based on status)
UI, Title Screen, Misc.
Title Screen Rework Sketch
Camp background for dialogue cutscenes
Being a small team of less than 10 people in total throughout the six months of production, I was eager to help the team with several of the small tasks.