Beatdown Breakdown Boomtastic

Roles: Artist
Competition: Brackeys Game Jam 2021.1
Categories: Games

What is Beatdown Breakdown Boomtastic?

Beatdown Breakdown Boomtastic is a 2.5D action game made for Brackeys Game Jam 2021.1, where you stave off crazed fans from mobbing the DJ on stage. Timing your punches to the beat, it is your duty as a security guard to keep the show going with as little hiccups as possible. The longer the DJ's away from the set, the more restless the crowd gets.

With over 1,885 entries, it placed 29th in Innovation, 48th in Audio, 112th in Graphics, and 115th Overall. Across all criteria, the score never dropped below 3.3/5.

Responsibilities

Craft the level and the assets inside.
Make audio-reactive objects.

Creative Process

Goals

Create a fun experience within the constraints of external factors.
Convey the feeling of being "stronger together" through being the bouncer to a music venue.

Features

Time-based attack system lined up to the beat.
An original song.
Colorful and expressive characters.

Constraints

7 days to work on the project.
Fit the theme of "Stronger Together".
Accounting for various timezones (CST and EST).
The February 2021 snowstorm that hit Texas.
I had just started my semester.

Process

1) Create level & UI assets.

2) Give the level ambiance.

Creative Process

1) SVGs to 3D

Thought Process

The actual level was built out in Probuilder, since the structure is a simplistic diorama box. However, objects that populate the level are a different matter. The textures and 3D objects were 1st graphed out in Google Drawings. If they were planned on being models, they were then ported into Blender, which has a nifty feature to turn SVGs into 3D objects.

All UI art was made in Photoshop, keeping in-line with the vector art style, complete with outlines and bubble text.

Results

The SVG to 3D pipeline allowed for a very smooth process to port over assets. The UI slotted well into the general aesthetics, making it pop against the muted colors of the venue level.

2) Shaders, Particles, & Lighting

Thought Process

A simplistic shader was created in order to create the scrolling text. Throughout the level, a rainbow mist litters the ground, randomly spawning and selecting colors. Lastly, a confetti particle was made to indicate victory.

As for lighting, post-processing was used in order to give bloom and color offsets to objects. This effect makes the level almost feel like an underground music venue, with someone using a camcorder. There is also a spotlight that is attached to the DJ, in order to show the objective of the game.

Results

While subtle, these touches added ambiance to the game’s aesthetics, landing us relatively high in the graphics criteria.

Takeaways

Although some of our time was cut short, due to outside factors, we were still able to make a fun, short experience that was enjoyed by those who played. I felt as though this was a great showcase of just some of the skills I’ve picked up from Brackeys over the years.