Cell Surge
Surge through the human body as a white blood cell,
annihilating all threats in your way!
Cell Surge was my third game at TGA, it was the first game we wrote entirely in C++.
The game is a classic 2D side scrolling shoot 'em up with power ups and four different levels ending with a boss. It takes place inside a little girls body where the player controls a white blood cell trying to save its host.
Platform: PC
Engine: Tga2D
Project Duration: 8 weeks, 50 %
Team size: 14
Genre: Shoot 'em up
Inspiration: Steredenn and R-Type
Gameplay
Enemy movement and behaviour
Level designers handled placement of enemies. I implemented enemy movement and attack patterns together with Rasmus Ekelund based on their wishes.
Boss movement and behaviour
Bosses are an important part of shooters so we wanted a multi phase boss to finish the game. I collaborated with Rasmus Ekelund and we created a three part boss that increased in difficulty for each phase.
VFX (ghost frames, hit effect)
For extra player feedback I added an enemy hit effect. For extra tension when close to death I added "ghost frames" with the aim of simulating fatigue and drowziness.
Ghost frames on low HP with red vignette
Main menu with sprite sheet animations
UI
UI (menus)
I implemented a menu system. This was our first project in C++ so it was a valuable experience. I experimented with inheritance and enjoyed collaborating with our graphical artists and animators.
High score system
Since high scores are vital to shoot 'em ups we wanted a high score system. I created a system that saved and ranked high scores per level, saving name and score after quitting the game in json-files. It also saved stats such as number of power ups collected and enemies killed.
Lessons learned:
The value of cooperation and human relations in game development
The critical importance of verifying your work before commiting to source control
Leaving the environment of Unity gave me a greater understanding of how game engines work.