Shadow Beasts

Shadow Beasts was created in 2 weeks during the Pirate Software Jam 14. This was my first Unreal Engine jam, making it a unique challenge. My contributions included art direction (lighting, shaders, and post-processing), rigging and animation, level design, and gameplay programming and balancing.

My Contributions

Art Direction & Aesthetics

To enhance the eerie, crumbling atmosphere of this horror game, I implemented a distinctive PS1-inspired aesthetic that combined modern lighting with retro visual techniques.

The Lighthouse

The lighthouse served as the centerpiece of the game’s art direction. I worked closely with our dedicated 3D artist to ensure the model fit our specifications, then implemented it into the engine with all required gameplay drivers such as moving the spotlight and entering/exiting the tower.

Post-Processing Effects

I implemented two key post-processing effects: Film Grain to create a feeling of decay and immersion, and a Custom Pixelation Shader that obfuscated asset details while juxtaposing Unreal Engine 5’s advanced lighting with a PS1-inspired aesthetic.

Asset Optimization

To match the PS1 aesthetic, I heavily decimated all environmental assets (~80-90% reduction in poly count) and pixelated the textures. This created a cohesive retro look that worked seamlessly with the game’s visual effects while maintaining performance.

Gameplay Mechanics

The core gameplay loop revolves around managing the lighthouse’s spotlight to protect the island from encroaching fog and shadow beasts, creating a tense resource management experience.

Spotlight

The spotlight is your main line of defense. It can be rotated and pointed at the fog to dissipate it. Although the spotlight was a crucial mechanic, it felt boring for most of development. In the last few hours of the jam, I added a button that instantly consumes 25% battery charge to unleash a flash of light that obliterates all fog. I was responsible for the visual juice like screenshake and intensifying light, while our sound designer created the impactful sound effect. This last minute addition made a huge impact on enjoyment.

Resource Management

Battery charges aren’t infinite, creating a tension between using the spotlight liberally and conserving power. Players must carefully manage their energy, deciding when to aggressively clear fog and when to stay in the dark to preserve battery life for critical moments.

Supply Drops

The primary way to replenish batteries is by picking up supply drops that occasionally land at pre-determined points around the island. Venturing out to collect them comes with the risk of encountering shadow beasts in the fog, but it’s a necessary risk - the player will not last long if the spotlight runs out of energy.

Enemies & Hazards

I helped design, program, and balance the antagonistic entities in the game. The shader used for them was authored by another talented team member. It absorbs all light and has edges that wobble ominously, perfectly capturing the eerie and otherworldly essence of the Shadow Beasts.

The Fog

The fog is a mechanical hazard that expands randomly around the island. It’s simple but effective—touching it results in game over. If left unchecked, the fog can swallow large walkable portions of the island and obstruct the skyline.

Shadow Beasts™️

Using the same shader with tweaked values, these enemies posed a more active threat on the ground. Behaviors: Walk, run (when spotting the player), and recoil in fear (when hit by the flashlight). I quickly rigged and animated the models, focusing on making their reactions dynamic and visually distinct.

Visual Design

The enemy shader creates an otherworldly appearance that absorbs light and features ominously wobbling edges, perfectly capturing the eerie essence of the shadow creatures.

Level Design

Once the game idea was settled, I designed the island environment using a sketch from our brainstorming session as a reference. I sculpted the island using Unreal Engine’s landscape tools, added an ocean with the built-in ocean plugin, and scattered assets (rocks, tree stumps) from the downgraded Megascans library across the island.