Hey, I'm a Game Designer and Pixel Artist.I've been messing with video game ideas and projects since I was about 9 years old. I would create game levels and worlds using the surface of my childhood room walls as a canvas. When I wasn't scribbling, I would write spontaneous thoughts of game ideas on notepads.I'm currently enrolled full-time at USC's School of Cinematic Arts studying Game Design. In my free time I play a lot of video games and enjoy going out to restaurants with friends!Pixel-art has been my favorite artistic medium since the first game I played which was Pokémon: Sapphire on the Gameboy. Some of my favorite games are Celeste, Animal Well, Risk of Rain, and Super Mario Galaxy.

Psych(Eye)
Design

'Space'Bar
Design

Dive Game
Design

Drill Game
Prototype

STACKING
SPELLS

Gearstimation:
The Board Game

Wand World
Design

Power Clubs:
The Card Game

I was the Art Director and Lead Designer for this game. I led a team of 3 Designers, 4 Programmers, an Artist, and a Composer to bring this entry to the GMTK 24 Jam together by the deadline.

Synopsis:
You are a librarian who runs a magical library set in a fantasy setting. The premise of the game is to upkeep the shop's state by clearing out books left out of place by customers. As you move through different rooms of the library (levels), *you will be rewarded a bookmark of certain rarity (color) that represents the ranking of your completion speed. As a magical librarian with a job that rewards efficiency, you have a spell effect that grows your momentum with how much you move. However, hitting walls and obstacles would cause you to lose a bit of momentum. Throughout the rooms, you can purchase spells that can affect your movement and grant abilities to help the process of completing rooms.

LEVEL STAGING:
1.1:
Teaches player jumping mechanics
implicitly shows momentum
has a bit of a synchronous jump for the last two, but can be completed with/without momentum.
end
1.2:
shows how useful gaining momentum can be
large gap to cross which requires momentum
fail state intro
end
1.3:
book collection
cutting stack of books
showing use of books with dash
end

The game was well received, having gotten Top 400 Overall with a pool of nearly 8000 submissions.Better yet, the Enjoyment rating was #257.This is a project I would not have been able to do without my team and the people that pushed me through the extreme slumps of the jam where everything felt like it was falling apart.

PLAY HERE:

Player Engagement:
The game can be beaten at any speed and skill level, allowing for wide player accessibility. However, there will be incentive for fast, efficient, and skillful gameplay, emphasized by colored bookmarks that represent different speeds of level completion. In a level select menu, the player will be able to see a spread of available levels as well as the bookmarks they achieved, to incentivize highest completion of each level as a personal achievement. For personal incentive beyond game set times, the player will be able to see their time at the end of each level after completion.

We used Miro to keep track of all our tasks as seen in the image.Throughout this entire jam I constantly worked with the designers and programmers to get it towards the end vision I had in mind.I was required to manage a multitude of tasks while also creating all the pixel art and animations for the project.All in 96 hours.
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Wild Cards:
Hole: When this is pulled and placed down, it completes the course, and starts the movement round. (Note: Reshuffle the hole card into the wild card deck if it comes up before 5 paths are created.)
Sand Trap: During the movement round, in order to successfully pass this card, make a separate dice roll from your movement. If you roll an EVEN number (2, 4, 6) you make it through and continue your movement. (The dice you roll DOES NOT AFFECT MOVEMENT! It’s just to check if you can make it past.)
Water Hazard: Same as the “Sand Trap” card, except instead of even numbers, you have to roll an odd number (1, 3, 5). (Same rules apply).
Windmill: Same as “Water Hazard” and “Sand Trap” except instead of Odd or Even Numbers, you have to roll either a 1 or 6. (Same rules apply).
Speed Track: If you end your movement on this tile, your next stroke will receive +1 on your movement roll
Gum Track: If you end your movement on this tile, your next stroke will receive -1 on your movement roll. (Note: if you roll a 1, your movement will be 0, and the effect will be reapplied.)
RNG: Roll the dice if you end your movement on this tile. Depending on the roll, do one of the following:
-Add +3 strokes to your current course score.
-Move yourself to the start.
-Discard an item card. (If you do not have an item, do nothing).
-Obtain an item card.
-Move yourself to the hole.
-Sett your strokes back to 1 for the current course.Item cards:
You can only use your item BEFORE your movement role (except Choice Dice, and Mulligan), and only one per turn. Discard items after use.
Rocket Club: Add +1 to your movement dice roll, and your movement ignores hazards.
Secret Tunnel: The user moves their ball anywhere on the course, except the hole.
Wet Ball: Subtract -1 from anyone’s (of your choice) next movement dice roll.
Rat Thief: The user chooses someone to steal an ITEM card from.
Catty: Instead of rolling one die for your movement, roll 2, and the sum of the two will be your movement.
Super Glove: Swap two path cards from the course with each other, EXCLUDING the hole. (You cannot move tiles players are on.)
Golf man: The user chooses someone to swap balls with.
Tee: The user draws 1 card from the “Wild Card” deck, then chooses a Wild Card to replace on the course with the one they drew. You cannot replace the hole card, however, if the card you drew was a hole card, wherever you place it becomes the new hole. (If you place the new hole somewhere on the course where a player has already passed, that player must finish at the original hole.)
Choice Dice: Instead of rolling, choose what side the die will land on for your movement. (You can use this for Hazard rolls too.)
Eraser: The user chooses to either add +1 stroke to someone else OR subtract -1 stroke from the user. (Can be used at any time)

Name: Wand WorldPlayer: Magical Dryad/Druid-like figure with a satchel and a wand.Genre: Puzzle-AdventureStory: The surface of the deep forest keeps being destroyed and as the protector of the forest you have to travel while bringing life to every area. You also need to collect all the different crystals in order to progress and make it to the heart where you give up the ingredients to fix the center.Goal: Solve all the room puzzles and travel through the depths to restore the forest and find the heart to give it life again.Map: In the world are 5 distinct areas. The first area, the one you start in, is the Greenhouse (5 Petals). The second area is the Crystal Coves (3 shards). The third is an Icy or water (undecided) Area (4 Petals). The fourth is the Hotzone (6 Petals). And the fifth is the Heart.Game Mechanics: No JumpingGreen Gem: Affect green flowers' height to help you reach places you can’t reach. Activates gate plants for a short period of time to open doors. Pops up fling flowers that fling the player forward to reach new areas.Purple Gem: Affects Crystal Extenders horizontal movement, allowing you to cross gaps you wouldn’t normally be able to. Trying to move the crystal back, breaks it. Interacting with the Shard Stem flips gravity until deactivated.Blue Gem: Bubbles the player and moves around until released and pops. Alternatively can also make bubbles to water plants.

The Story of Dive Game follows a typical three-act system. Each act will have specific goals, following a path towards the next act.The first act prepares the player for this dangerous, thrilling dive into the deep cave. It’s the protagonist's first interaction with the locals while gathering all the equipment necessary for safety.The second act is when you begin the dive. It's you communicating with your partner using hand motions and it’s where we start to see the horrifying claustrophobic spaces come into play. The second act ends with your partner, having wedged themself between rocks, getting trapped. Having already discovered breakthroughs about the cave system, you have to leave your friend to escape for yourself, otherwise, you could get stuck and die as well.The third act is your slow ascent from the deep sea. Constantly having to decompress to not over-expand your lungs. You have to stay calm, keeping your stress meter down, while dreading the fact you had to abandon your dive partner. You eventually escape, now harboring praise for being the first to explore the expansive depths.The Epilogue is a continuation after the end where the protagonist feels guilt for his lost partner and quickly decides to attempt a rescue, even if it just means recovering the body.

Lots of research from various professional diving sites:
Diving Techniques
Propulsion
Silt Out

Swimming and diving are one of, if not the most important mechanics in this game.For swimming, the player should use WASD controls. This is where the game switches from sidescrolling to first-person. Holding W should move the player toward the direction the camera is facing.In the game, there will be 3 different finning techniques that the player will have to switch between. The first is the flutter kick, which is the fastest technique. This technique will allow you to speed through strong currents escape chase events. The main caveat to the flutter kick is the increased oxygen intake and the greatest chance of causing silt out.The second is a frog kick, which is a moderate-speed kick that decreases air consumption the most, but has the side effect of a mediocre chance of causing a silt out.And then the third technique is the bent-knee kick, the safest and slowest kick technique. This has the same air consumption as the frog kick, but you move significantly slower. You’ll switch between these techniques by pressing a keyboard button.An indicator in the bottom left of the screen will be shown displaying which technique you’re currently using. (Example from Escape from Tarkov’s hud)

The real-life location of Hranize in the Czech Republic was referenced when creating the city as it is near the deepest underwater cave known as Hranice Abyss.I wanted to base the game concepts on the realities of cave diving and its inherent strong emotional themes of dealing with attachment while learning how to let go.Here are some examples of the different areas of the games pulling lots of inspiration from the surrounding area of Hranice.

'Space'Bar is a twin-stick sidescrolling roguelike shooter where you kill aliens and collect their blood to use as key ingredients in the universes finest exotic beverages (Currently in development).

Each planet has 3 layers, the crust, the mantle, and the core. Each layer you will have to fight increasingly difficult versions of the same boss from that planet until you drain it completely of its blood and then get sent to the next planet.

The game follows a standard loop where you are sent off to a procedurally generated level (a planet) in which you must clear each room. Throughout the planet are secret rooms and treasure rooms which contain chests of various random upgrades that do more than just simple stat-ups.

Game Setup:Grab the 2 Game Board pieces and place them on a table so that the smaller board is in between one of the gaps of the larger board (Like a gear).Grab the Hazard card pile and place it into the center where it fits with the corresponding image.Grab the Rotation Coin and flip it. Place it directly under the card pile in the circle slot. This will indicate the rotation of the gears.Each Player chooses a color: Red, Blue, Purple, or Black. Give each player the corresponding tokens.Deal each player one Broken Machine Card.Roll the dice to determine who goes first for their station set-up, then go clockwise.The first player will place 1 of their tokens on any of the white spaces, each player will repeat this until everyone has placed 1 token.

How to play:On a player's turn, they can either roll the dice at the beginning of their turn, at the end or not roll at all.The roll a player makes determines the movement of the gears.If a player is directly adjacent to one of the locations on the small gear and it is their turn, they may complete one of the following depending on the location connected.

Hazards:Hazards occur when a player collects one of the necessary components to repair their machine.Normal: Hazards are cleared
Rain: Dice rolls are halved for gear rotations. (Half of odd numbers is the higher number, half of 1 is still 1).
Reverse: Flip the rotation coin.
Heatwave: Every player that ends adjacent to Wasteland Special Location gets to interact with the Scavenger. See Scavenger rules.
Hurricane: Dice rolls are doubled for gear rotationsWhenever a new Hazard card is drawn, shuffle the previous Hazard back into the Hazard pile.How to win:A player wins by repairing their machine first.

Main Game Board:

Wasteland: Anyone adjacent to this location by the end of the movement of the gear collects a random component. (It does not have to be their turn.

Market: Trade components for a different one. (2 of the same component for 1 different one. 2 of any component for another token on the board.)

Workshop: Repair your Machine. (Only if you have collected all your parts.)

Scavenger:When a player lands adjacent to the Wasteland during the Heatwave Hazard they gain access to the Scavenger.The Scavenger can be placed on any of the gaps in the main board gear.Instead of rotating the smaller gear into this spot, skip it.If on a player’s turn, they are adjacent to the Scavenger they can do one of the following:
Trade a component for another random component
Trade 3 random components for another Token
Give a component to move the ScavengerIf the Heatwave Hazard ever stops, keep the Scavenger in play.

This was a co-operative game developed by me and one other person, Cathelina.

Synopsis:Trapped within a strange place, interact with the EYES by inputting codes found within each room.Try to escape.Design:
Me and Cathelina were assigned to create a project that would evoke some sort of uneasiness within the player. The goal was to create an experimental game that functioned metaphorically as a maze.We took these ideas and meshed it in with other requirements as it related to color theory and lighting.In the end, we resulted with a very trippy and somewhat psychedelic experience that challenged the players thinking and how they approach receiving orders.

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