3D Movement-Based Fighting Game | Unity | Since 21-03-2025
Early Concept Art by Floris Koelemaij:
2+
Weeks
9
People
Passion
Project
The game is a fast-paced action first-person experience centered around fluid movement and combat mechanics, deeply intertwined with a narrative of self-discovery and healing.
The protagonist, having survived a suicide attempt, finds themselves in a space between life and death. Here, they realize they want to fight for their life, facing manifestations of their inner demons that represent the struggles that brought them to this state.
The gameplay symbolizes their journey to self-acceptance and healing, where movement mechanics represent their past avoidance behaviors and combat represents learning to confront problems instead of running from them.
The Origin:
This project began in late 2024 as a passion project by Eme de Wal, Floris Koelemaij, and Louiza der Kevorkian. Initially envisioned as a third-person, Soulslike-inspired action game focused purely on movement and combat, At this stage, narrative wasn't a priority, and although I was considered for the team early on, it made sense for both parties that I didn’t join.
As development progressed and the project evolved, losing its soulslike genre and turning into a first-person experience, the team began to feel that something was missing. A deeper meaning that could tie their mechanics together and make the game stand out. Their original concept featured a demon king escaping their own hell, but they didn't think this made their game unique enough.
My Introduction to the Team:
Recognizing the potential in their new systems and tone & even though we'd agreed earlier that I wasn't necessary for the project, I offered to join the team as a narrative designer. I was accepted into the team & collaborated closely with them to reframe the experience as a metaphor for mental health and personal recovery. Together, we built a narrative where players traverse a corrupted mindscape after a suicide attempt, fighting literal manifestations of their inner demons to reclaim control and ultimately survive.
We’re currently developing a vertical slice as part of HKU’s Free Project II module, with plans to continue development beyond the course.
As the Narrative Designer, I joined the team after the core gameplay systems were established to help shape the game’s emotional and thematic identity. Since then, I’ve been responsible for:
What I’ve Done:
• Reframed the original concept into a unique, emotionally-driven narrative that complements the fast-paced gameplay.
• Developed a Narrative Design Document that outlines the story, themes, and symbolism. Providing clear direction for the art team to begin designing the world and its environments.
Currently Working On:
• Designing a protagonist whose personality, inner struggles, and history are meaningfully reflected in the game world.
• Deepening the connection between mechanics and narrative, ensuring that movement stances, combat abilities, and environmental interactions reinforce emotional themes.
• Creating enemy designs in collaboration with the art team that visually and behaviorally represent the character’s internal battles (e.g., anxiety, self-doubt, fear of failure).
• Collaborating on worldbuilding and level design to ensure that the setting feels cohesive and symbolically rich from start to finish.
As the Level Designer, I’m responsible for designing spaces that teach, challenge, and immerse the player through responsive movement and fast-paced combat. .
What I’ve Done:
• Designed and implemented the movement tutorial, which introduces players to the game’s core traversal mechanics (grappling, wall-running, sliding).
• Iterated on pacing, flow, and onboarding clarity to ensure players consistently understand and internalize movement.
Currently Working On:
• Designing and refining the combat tutorial
• Building out and prototyping the first full level, focused on integrating traversal, environmental rhythm, and early challenge escalation.
For marketing I'm currently managing the Cause to Exist Community Discord Server, Tiktok, Instagram & Youtube channel.
DiscordTiktokInstagramYoutube
Team Soulskrad:
Developers
Eme de Wal | Programming & Combat Design
Designers
Robbert Sloof | Narrative, Level Design & Marketing
Artists
Floris Koelemaij | Producer & UI Art
Louiza der Kevokian | Art direction & Creature Art
Ell | Creature Art
Jade Elvira Rosendahl | Creature Art
Marissa | Animation & Rigging
Mirthe Volman | Environment Art
Thijmen | VFX & Character Art
Romoliths is a vertical slice for a 3D platformer puzzle game in which you assume the role of a golem on a quest to restore light and color to their world by creating connections with others.
In the game you'll see the fall of a big golem, causing big destruction to the neighbouring ecosystems of the other golems & severing the already established connections between golems. It is your job as a small golem to reassemble these connections by connecting energy lines between small golems.
This game was made for a project in my 2nd year studying Game Design at HKU called Project Context II. During this 8-week project we were tasked to create a game for ROM Utrecht that explained & showcased the value of participating in ecosystems.
I was the narrative lead for this game & took on the challenge of translating ROM's goal (explaining the value of participating in ecosystems) into gameplay with a fitting narrative.
Various mechanics, story elements, etc. I've designed to make this goal a reality are:
- The connections that need to be made between golems. ROM wants to connect companies with each other and create a cooperative ecosystem of companies in the region of Utrecht. These connections showcase the importance of networking & cooperating with others to create a better environment.
- The impact of connections. Making connections makes the environment more colorful, dissapates darkness & opens up new areas to make more connections. This also draws parallels with the way networking works, opening up new opportunities through connections.
I've helped our main level designer Arman Aryob with some level ideas, created my own level & eventually helped our developer implement the art to turn the level blockouts into working, visually pleasing levels.
Some of my contributions on level design are:
- Concepting some quick level designs for the game (see images below)
- Stress/Playtesting levels & giving feedback accordingly
- Creating the final level that combines all the mechanics the player has learned so far (see images below)
- Implementing art into the levels & assigning each golem what to change in the world on connection (Environment changes color, moving platforms, disappearing clouds, etc.)
Developers
Eme de Wal | Programming & Player System Design
Designers
Arman Aryob | Cinematic Director & Level Design
Robbert Sloof | Narrative & Level Design
Casper Thijsen | Sound Design & Composer
Olle van Zanten | Research
Timo Dijkstra | Research & programming
Artists
Mirthe Volman | Character Design & Concept Art
Jade Elvira Rosendahl | 3D assets & environment design
Floris Koelemaij | UI art, Environment animations, Concept art & VFX
Ilyas Ben Haddou | Producer, World Layout, Environment art
Tatris: Blockout is small experience that blends classic puzzle mechanics with an introspective, interactive story that explores themes of self-isolation.
The game appears to be a regular Tetris game at first, but as the player progresses, strange bricks begin to fall. Ones that don’t quite fit and form fragments of a story. Slowly, it becomes clear that the character your playing hasn’t been outside in a long time. As the game continues to break down, reality starts to seep in. Interacting with these intrusions allows the player to step away from the game and eventually leave their room.
This game was made for a seminar called Transformative Interactive Narrative Design in my 2nd year studying Game Design at HKU. During this 2-week seminar we were tasked to create a narrative experience that dealt with the theme coping.
Design:
I designed a major part of the game's narrative experience, shaping how the mechanics reinforce the character’s isolation and gradual re-engagement with the world.
The main things I designed in this project were the following:
- The interactions between the player, the custom blocks and their consequences.
- The change in behaviour of the game if the player doesn't choose to interact with reality.
Programming:
- The interactions between custom tetris blocks,
- The changes in gameplay throughout the game (lessening saturation, slowing down of the game, appearing of silhouette, etc.)
Developers
ModderOwls | Programming
Game Designers
Robbert Sloof | Narrative/UX Design & Programming
Valéria van Pamelen | Narrative Design & Programming
Nicolas Perez | Narrative/UX/Sound Design
Artists
Louiza der Kevorkian | 3D Art
2D Interactive Visual Novel | Ren'Py | 7-4-2025
8
Weeks
2
People
HKU
Project
The player plays as a nation of dimwitted frogs. The old Frog King gave birth to a prosperous nation. However, the population quickly grew increasingly bored. The frogs demand a new ruler to make life more exciting. Each potential king brings great promises, but each of them fails to deliver.
The game is a branching narrative experience where players must select a new ruler from different animals, each introducing unique policies and consequences. Each king, however, seems to bring more turmoil to the nation.
This game was made for a module called Interactive Narrative Design in my 2nd year studying Game Design at HKU. We were tasked to create an interactive fable.
Design:
I designed a major part of the story's structure & wrote half of the dialogue in the game.
Programming:
I've programmed & implemented everything into the game. This was my first time using Ren'Py and Python, but I figured it out relatively quick.
Robbert Sloof | Design, Writing & Programming
Mitchel Geraedts | Art & Writing
Purrfect Pop is a fast-paced 2D action game focused on hand-eye coordination with a chaotic boss battle. Players shoot and merge bubbles of the same color, then launch them at a mischievous cat’s eyes to stop him from popping your growing bubbles. It’s all about quick reflexes, precise aim, and outsmarting a feline menace in a colorful, arcade-style showdown.
This game won the HKU Audience Vote for best Global Game Jam 2025 game submitted by HKU.
This game was made for Global Game Jam 2025 with the theme bubbles. We found a team on the spot & had to create a game within 48 hours.
I was the Lead Game Designer for this project. I made sure we had a good concept that everyone was motivated for. To create a decent game within the 48 hours we wanted to have a simple mechanic with very good game feel.
I was in charge of creating a very quick design document, so everyone knew at all times what to do with the use of the MOSCOW method.
Design Document
I also programmed the cat's behaviour in the game and helped the developer with small tasks when necessary.
Developers
RitchiDev | Programming
Designers
Robbert Sloof | Lead Game Design/UX Design
SeanaO | Technical Designer
Karlijn Snijders | Visual Design/Backup Artist
Artists
SkullLunar | Art
