Illustrator | Animator | Production | Game Design
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My primary roles:
Team Lead
Lead Game Designer
Project Manager
After Effects Animator
Chibi’s Clowder is a 2.5D chill/cozy game made in Unreal Engine 5. I was the lead game designer and also made animated assets for this project. I led a wonderful team of 7 people for this class project. In this game you play as the little cat, “Chibi” a little cat who wants to find his home. You wander around the streets looking for 4 special cats to help you find your way home.
This project showcases the combination of 2D assets in a 3D world. The team developed this game in Unreal Engine 5 for its capacity to blend 2D and 3D elements in a streamlined fashion.
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In order to properly plan and delegate tasks to the artists, modellers and other designer, it was imperative to have a cohesive document for the team to access. In my prior experience as a QA Tester I knew the value of a well-written, easy-to-understand and cohesive game design document. Above is the design document that outlined key aspects of gameplay, story beats, mechanics, as well as art direction for the project. This document was the bible for the whole team and was updated frequently during development.
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For this design document, I was in charge of composing the gameplay beats, the moodboards for the art direction, the asset lists, as well as story beats for any cutscenes that might be needed. I also provided additional documentation for visual needs that needed to be communicated. My person favourite being this quick photoshop I did to communicate an idea I had to my artists.​​
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Like all projects, the final project may not have perfectly aligned with the initial design. As during development, some things just evolve or have to be scrapped in order to meet deadline requirements.
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This was an excellent way for us, as a team, to remain in scope while also leaving the door open for more feedback from each and every team member.
As the lead game designer, I was working closely with our level designer to maintain proper communication about our vision. Our level designer would pass on the map to me for proper feedback. I would play through the map, and update him on any updates that I might need. As a visual person, I always found it easier to communicate my needs through drawn notes.
