Overview
REVERSE is a Third-Person Action game developed in Unreal Engine 4. Inspired by games such as Prototype and Dynasty Warriors, the player character must navigate their way throughout a city, fighting the waves of enemies they encounter with a variety of abilities.
REVERSE's gameplay mechanics, combat and level design were designed by me, with character and level art used from the Unreal Marketplace and Mixamo. I also created additional materials and particle effects.
This was my first attempt at creating a full game from scratch, with development being 11 months from October 2018 to September 2019.
Mobility
The player is equipped with a flight ability, for extra mobility in situations such as getting to a higher area, or escaping from an overwhelming fight. The ability is linked to the players SP meter and will slowly decrease over time, while slowly being replenished while not in use.
To create this, I wrote the player blueprint for activating the ability by checking to see if the player was not currently running another ability and had enough SP to trigger it, while kee[ing it active as the player heeld the key down.
I created a purple material cloud material and used that as the base for the particle effect, which took on the appearance of a surrounding aura for the player that would be active for as long as the player was flying.
Combat
The combat system is comprised of three main attacks: short-ranged melee, a mid-range sword combo attack and a long-range energy shot. Each one is useful in specific combat scenarios such as picking off enemies one at a time from a distance, or getting in close to defeat many at once.
For the melee attack combo I attached hitboxes to the players hands and feet that became active once the combo was triggered, which would then play a string of punching and kicking animations.
For the sword attack, I attached a sword to the players hand and created a material that would shift its visibility for it. By rendering it invisible, I then attached it to the players hand and had it "spawn" and become active with an effect on the material when the sword blueprint was initiated. I also created swing trail particle effects and attached them the thhe sword in the players animations to make using the sword feel more flashy and powerful.
The enemies the player engages are soldiers marked with an electric aura, marking their strength and difficulty. Defeating enemies helps the player to replenish their energy used when attacking or flying.
The enemy AI was constructed using a combination of blueprints and behavior trees. The enemies patrol their designated areas searching for their target. Once locked on, they'll pursue the player and choose from multiple different attack combinations to attack the player.
Level Design
REVERSE's level design is split into halves, with the first half being separated into linear zones. The first part of a zone introduces a mechanic or concept to the player, then the second part puts it into practical use. Zones have barriers and checkpoints that keep the player from advancing unless a certain number of enemies are defeated.
The second half of the level allows the player to be more open with the route they take to reach the end goal. Since the first half introduces both ground and rooftop battle scenarios, players may choose to travel between the streets and rooftops to reach the final tower.