Arena Degradation System
Each hit breaks apart the arena. Missing floor tiles communicate damage and create new pitfalls.
System implementation by Mateusz Zych · game visuals by the project team
Open video ↗ (opens in a new tab)Arena shooter
Void Slayer.
Core gameplay mechanics for a game where the arena is your health — from destructible floor tiles to restoration, enemy escalation and the survival loop.
My role
Technical Level Designer / Scripter
Studio
Madmind Studio: After hours
Year
2022
My work in motion
Feature demosProject gallery
Arena layout and gameplay view
01 / 04
Official project screenshots · Madmind Studio. The media shows the team's game; my individual responsibilities are detailed below.
Behind the game
My contribution
Created during Global Game Jam, then further developed and released on Steam. I implemented the core gameplay mechanics and systems that defined the moment-to-moment experience and progression loop.
Health = Arena
Every time the player took a hit, the arena gradually broke apart, creating visible gaps and surrounding pitfalls.
- Implemented arena degradation driven by player damage.
- Focused on making changes to the playable space readable and clearly communicated to the player.
Fountain & restoration loop
To survive, the player could charge a fountain. Once charged, it generated orbs that restored the parts of the arena the player moved on.
- Connected fountain charging, orb generation and arena restoration into the core survival loop.
- Increased orb counts and spawn frequency as the run progressed, escalating gameplay intensity.
Totems & enemy escalation
I implemented a destructible totem that could only spawn on intact arena tiles.
- The totem spawned multiple enemy AI types.
- Enemy numbers scaled as the game progressed.