IT Burrows(Resumes Production soon)
Project Type
Top down 2D Roguelike Dungeon Crawler
Role
Director, Designer and Artist
Location
Burbank, CA
Engine
Unity
Other Software Used
Photoshop and FMOD (Audio Engine)
A Bit About the game...
IT Burrows is a top-down 2D roguelike dungeon crawler where you play as a fearless female monster hunter. A massive monster has crashed onto the planet, consuming everything in its path and putting the steampunk metropolis of Moonreva in grave danger. As the invasion spreads, the planet begins to fracture, threatening all life. To save the world, you must explore shifting dungeons, battle relentless enemies, and, in a final desperate act, venture inside the monster itself to fight it from within and vanquish the threat once and for all.
IT Burrows Prototype Gameplay
Project Post Mortem
Role Description
Photoshop Sketch
I served as the primary game designer for this project, collaborating closely with my classmate to bring our vision to life. In this role, I focused on shaping the overall player experience by designing the game’s levels and developing core gameplay systems. My responsibilities included mapping out progression, creating engaging challenges, and ensuring that each mechanic supported the intended feel of the game. Working as the dedicated designer allowed me to take ownership of the project’s structure and contribute meaningfully to its creative direction.
Documentation is crucial for any designer, as it ensures that all project details are clearly recorded and easily accessible. Keeping documentation up to date helps the entire team stay aligned on goals, design decisions, and project timelines. It serves as a reference point for team members, facilitating effective communication and collaboration. By maintaining comprehensive documentation, we can streamline our workflow, reduce misunderstandings, and ultimately create a more cohesive and efficient development process.
Documentation
IT Burrows Game Design Document
IT Burrows Team Pitch
Presentation
<---Click any one of the icons to open the PDF file for documentation ---->
What have I learned? (So Far...)
Working on this game has been an incredible learning experience. As my first project with complete creative control, it taught me how to communicate effectively with other talents. I also expanded my network beyond my team and school by attending meetups, where I invited people to playtest the game. This experience gave me valuable insight into networking and collaboration.
Working on this game has been an incredible learning experience. As my first project with complete creative control, it taught me how to communicate effectively with other talents. I also expanded my network beyond my team and school by attending meetups, where I invited people to playtest the game. This experience gave me valuable insight into networking and collaboration.
Working on this game has been an incredible learning experience. As my first project with complete creative control, it taught me how to communicate effectively with other talents. I also expanded my network beyond my team and school by attending meetups, where I invited people to playtest the game. This experience gave me valuable insight into networking and collaboration.
On the technical side, we initially built a procedural dungeon generator to create randomized layouts. However, the results felt repetitive and dull, with boxy, inorganic rooms that lacked excitement. So, we pivoted to a handcrafted dungeon design. Instead of discarding the generator, we used it as a foundation to map out layouts, carving out rooms from the generated spaces to give them more organic shapes. This approach saved us time, offering a solid starting point and helping us better visualize how the large dungeon would take shape.
Additionally, I’ve improved my skills in writing modular C# code for reusable systems that optimize memory. Using a joint-based animation system also allowed us to create smoother, 3D-like movements. I’ve gained experience with lighting 2D scenes and working with shadowcasters to enhance depth, further elevating the game’s visual feel.
Development and Coding Growth
Desired Gameplay Experience
In IT Burrows, our goal is to create a gaming experience that is both thrilling and terrifying. We want players to feel a genuine sense of fear and suspense as they navigate the dark, foreboding environments filled with lurking dangers. At the same time, we aim to maintain an exciting atmosphere that keeps players motivated to return. By combining elements of horror with engaging gameplay mechanics, dynamic enemy encounters, and unexpected surprises, we hope to captivate players, ensuring that each play session feels fresh and exhilarating. Ultimately, we want to foster a sense of challenge and discovery that compels players to dive back into the game, eager to face new challenges and uncover hidden secrets.
I’m thrilled to share that playtests for IT Burrows was an amazing experience. We invited some of our friends from across the country, allowing them to experience the game on their own devices and provide us with incredible feedback.
Through playtesting, we saw players having a great time discovering new mechanics and experimenting with different playstyles. One memorable example was how players creatively used the environment to their advantage, like leveraging traps to control enemy hordes. Another highlight was the feedback on exploration, players loved how the game kept them on their toes, with rooms packed with enemies that caught them off guard. Watching these interactions and hearing such positive feedback has been truly inspiring, motivating us to craft a unique and unforgettable experience
Post Playtest
Feedbacks we got from Playtest
Communication as a team
we held stand-up meetings every 2-3 days to stay aligned on progress and ensure everyone was on the same page. These check-ins gave us a chance to discuss what we were working on, address any roadblocks, and plan our next steps. We also used Discord as our primary communication tool, making it easy to coordinate tasks, share updates, and quickly resolve issues, keeping the workflow smooth and collaborative.
One of the systems that we were planning to include in the game was the ability to procedurally generate the dungeon every time we respawned. We managed to make the system work, but as we kept testing around it, we soon came to realisation that the game was getting out of scope, with the systems that we had in mind. After lot of considerations, we heavy heartedly had to discard the system.
What went wrong?
Discarded procedural system
Level Generated using the discarded procedural system
Click on one of the images to view the next project
Gallery
Here are some of the footage of under the hood for IT Burrows
