Development

Mid-Death Crisis, released 2024, is a strategic, turn-based couch co-op game designed for three players. Players pass a spell to each other and each time it grows stronger and gains unique effects depending on the spell used. The goal is to clear out the spawners in each room while keeping the lich, Zeborius Zelgon, safe.

I worked on this project as the systems designer in Unreal Engine.

When I joined Mid-Death Crisis, the issue I set out to solve was how to diversify the spells and make each role feel unique. I came up with the concept of spell effects. Effects applied cause unique behaviors on the enemies such as making them move slower with freeze, making their attacks weaker with atk debuff, etc.

During each level, players are able to choose between 3 loadouts for their character. Each loadout has different spells themed after a specific task, such as freezing, damage, etc. This way, every wheel, and every character has a distinct role.

I did lots of playtesting to balance the spells and their effects to ensure they were impactful and distinct. Through the loadouts and spell effect system, each player is able to feel like a unique and important part of the game and specialize in the role of their liking.