Contract Killer is a beat 'em game featuring a cast of angry writing utensils on a mission to defeat literal paper contracts. It launched on Steam May 19th 2022 and will be coming to Switch in 2023.
Visual design
Created a unique art style inspired by retro arcade fighters and Paper Mario. Designed player characters, various enemies, and environments. Collaborated with teammates to bring out a more retro aesthetic through the implementation of CRT color TV filters, 90s arcade game style logo art, and other features reminiscent of original beat 'em up titles.
ui/ux dESIGN
Due to the visual overload that can sometimes take place in multiplayer action experiences, our UI is as minimal as possible. Each player is given a single scrap of paper at the top of the screen with everything they need to know about their character's status.
A major goal in this project was to make playing with friends as easy as possible. UX flows were designed with this in mind. Users are able to drop in or out of a level with the push of a button right before a game begins. Having minimal steps allows for players to play a single round at a time without the commitment of setting up multiplayer settings every time.
Music
I composed the soundtrack for the game featuring 22 original songs. Music was composed in Logic Pro X featuring a variety of jazz instruments and synths.
Reflection
This project was so much fun to build, from the characters and world to applying user feedback and building a community around the project. It was my team's first time working on any kind of fighting game and we learned a lot about the importance of constant salient visual and auditory feedback in a genre as fast paced as beat 'em ups. It was also my first time really diving into Unity to create scenes and edit levels as we balanced the game. Contract Killer is our debut title and set the groundwork for future titles full of personality!