Genre: Rail-shooter (Single player)
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Released: October 2025
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Studio: Dream Foundry Games
Platforms: PC​/Xbox/Mobile
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Skill Focus: Level Design, Narrative Design, Iteration & Tuning
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Time Spent on Project: 2 years
Engine: Unity
SUMMARY OF CONTRIBUTIONS
​I was hired onto this project with the responsibility of revamping the original proposed design: a mobile first-person shooter on-rails game where players tapped enemy dragons to defeat them before they could fire off their own attacks.
My redesign (inspired by the Panzer Dragoon series) featured the following:
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Changing from first person to third person view
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The ability to look in 4 directions (called "viewports")
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Player movement capability (allowing for dodging projectiles & obstacles)
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12 playable dragons with unique active and passive abilities
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Upgrade system allowing for player advancement as rewards for good play
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Furthermore, the game is based on an existing book series, with our client being the author himself. As such, I proposed to both our client and producer that we undertake a larger focus on storytelling to better target the novel's existing fanbase.
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This resulted in:
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Voice acting during gameplay
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Fully voiced cutscenes - collaboratively written between client and myself
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Implementation of "Dragon Shanties" - music written and performed by client
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Overall, the decision was made to have the game's narrative be a canon entry into the "Forged and the Fallen" series - acting as a prequel to the events of the books.​​
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8 months into development the decision was made to shift the game from a mobile-first title into a PC/Console title and I was tasked with restructuring systems, controls & difficulty for these platforms.
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I also performed the duties of QA and Community Coordinator on this project.
LEVEL & ENCOUNTER DESIGN​​
Each of the game's seven levels include numerous encounters and enemy types - all culminating in a boss battle. Staging these elements presented an interesting design challenge due to the player's constant movement along the rail.
Each level became a choreographed piece where every element plays along the other:
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Enemy placement (accounting for spawn -> time of approach -> start combat)
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Speed along rail (both enemy and player)
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# of actions (after which, an enemy will fly away)
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If even one of the above is timed incorrectly, the game can quickly spiral into being overwhelming (or underwhelming). As such, with each encounter placed, extensive testing back and forth was required - adjusting each variable to ensure an enjoyable gameplay experience.
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Story Beats & Aesthetic
Before building the levels, I created a storyline for each, to be told through a combination of environment and voiced dialog - using established areas, characters and lore from the "Forged and the Fallen" book series.
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I then adjusted the terrain, placed buildings, trees, objects and more (utilizing provided asset packs) for the art team to use as reference alongside the descriptions of the aesthetics and narrative of the level. Lastly, I denoted the player rail using a spline system, as well as the various events and encounters along the path to ensure artistic elements would compliment the primary path.​​​​​​​​​​​​
3D placeholder text - before encounters are implemented
Blue splines indicate player & enemy rails
DRAGON UPGRADES + ABILITIES​
The "Forged and Fallen" series details multitudes of different dragon species all with their own unique traits. Take the "Rose Dragon" - whose breath is described as a blast of light, temporarily blinding all who view it. In the game, this acts as a stunning effect, stopping enemies from attack and movement.
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While reading through the novels, I noted each special feature of these different creatures and then sorted out which ones would work best as unique gameplay abilities. I also used their in-book descriptions to determine their base statistics for speed, health, attack charge speed and size.
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Fire Dragon - Imbues ballista bolts with fire (Double Damage for 10 seconds)​​
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Thorn Dragon - Bursts thorns in all directions (Damage to surrounding enemies)
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Bone Dragon - Creates a shield of bone (Protection from damage for 5 seconds)
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Regardless of species - players can also improve the dragon and its ballista through an upgrade system with medals earned from accomplishing certain goals in levels.
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Reaper's Pulse - (1 medal) - Decreases reload time | can be upgraded 3x​​
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Well of Power (3 medals) - Extra use of dragon's unique ability | can be upgraded 2x
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Storm of Bolts (6 Medals) - Changes firing style to rapid-fire, but deal half-damage
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Upgrades are purchased using "Dragon Medals"
Three medals are possible to earn while playing through levels - each with different stipulations such as defeating a certain number of enemies or not using any revives
Each dragon has different base statistics and abilities
Shadow Dragon's "Black Fire" ability
BOSS DESIGN​
One of my larger undertakings was creating the game's six boss encounters - ensuring each was meaningful, unique and memorable.
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I first designed out the bosses' different movement patterns, attacks and feel - with each of them having a special "theming": one was all about defensive tactics, another would be about relentless attacks, etc - testing the player in different aspects of play.
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Working closely with the development team, we were able to bring the designs to life. A few short examples are given below.
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The Unseen - an epic battle in the heart of a fog-filled forest against a mist dragon, with the power to appear and disappear at will. This battle requires the player to be constantly on the lookout in all directions anticipating the next ambush strike from the surrounding haze. ​
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The Disturbed - taking place entirely within the depths of a mountain cave lit only by sickly green fire, an enormous bone dragon resides. His thunderous roar rains rocks down from above and a storm of bone shards fly from his wings - both of which the player must move nimbly to avoid.
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​The Twins - over the legendary Lake of Glass, two dragons - fire & ice - await the player with an unending barrage of elemental attacks. Normally only one twin can attack at a time, signified by a glow that the player must keep track of... however, if they join together in the skies, they can unleash a relentless combo attack. Players must utilize heavy dodging tactics while staying on the offensive.
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Want to get a more in-depth look at the boss fights?
The Boss Design Doc can be read below!
