Tower of Truth
A turn-based, 2D pixel-art RPG inspired by Final Fantasy. Tower of Truth challenges players to ascend a mystical tower filled with monsters, puzzles, and hidden truths. Features strategic combat, character progression, and a branching narrative where player choices impact the story.
- ROLE
- Solo Developer — Design, Programming, Art & Writing
- PLATFORMS
- PC (Standalone Build)
My contributions
- 01
Turn-Based Combat System: Implemented a classic turn-based battle system where players choose attacks, abilities, or defensive actions.
- 02
Pixel Art & Animation: Designed sprite-based characters, enemies, and tile-based dungeon environments.
- 03
Enemy AI & Combat Balancing: Created AI logic that adjusts difficulty based on player level and combat strategy.
- 04
Exploration & Dungeon Design: Developed multi-room dungeons with switches, keys, and hidden paths.
- 05
Story & Dialogue System: Wrote a branching narrative where choices influence character progression and the ending.
- 06
Inventory & Loot System: Designed an equipment and item system, rewarding exploration and combat victories.
Overview
A turn-based, 2D pixel-art RPG inspired by Final Fantasy, Tower of Truth challenges players to ascend a mystical tower filled with monsters, puzzles, and hidden truths. The game features strategic combat, character progression, and a branching narrative, where the player's choices impact the story. Battles are classic turn-based encounters, and exploration involves dungeon puzzles, treasure hunting, and enemy encounters.
Purpose
Created as a passion project, Tower of Truth was designed to experiment with turn-based combat systems, pixel-art animation, and retro-inspired storytelling. The game focuses on tactical battles, character abilities, and strategic decision-making, capturing the essence of classic RPGs while introducing modern gameplay elements.
Core features
- 01
Classic Turn-Based Battles: Players take turns choosing attacks, spells, or items in a Final Fantasy-style combat system.
- 02
Dungeon Exploration: Solve puzzles, collect treasures, and battle monsters while progressing through the tower.
- 03
Skill-Based Progression: Characters gain new abilities and spells based on player choices and battle experience.
- 04
Enemy Variety & Tactics: Different monsters require unique strategies, such as status effects, elemental weaknesses, or counterattacks.
- 05
Choice-Driven Story: Players' decisions shape character development and the game's ending.
Challenges
- 01
Balancing Combat Mechanics: Ensuring battles were challenging but fair, while allowing different playstyles.
- 02
AI Behavior: Developing enemy decision-making that adapts to the player's tactics.
- 03
Sprite & Animation Workflow: Managing large sets of pixel-art animations for characters, attacks, and environments.
- 04
Branching Narrative Complexity: Writing and implementing a dialogue system that tracks player choices across multiple paths.
Solutions
- 01
AI Battle Scripts: Used state-based AI that considers player actions and enemy health to create dynamic fights.
- 02
Combat Balancing Iteration: Playtested different difficulty levels to adjust attack values, enemy health, and skill cooldowns.
- 03
Automated Animation Pipeline: Created a sprite sheet importer for batch-processing enemy and character animations.
- 04
Modular Dialogue System: Designed a scalable dialogue framework to handle branching story paths efficiently.
Accessibility
- 01
Simple Controls: Designed for keyboard or controller support, with remappable keys.
- 02
Colorblind-Friendly UI: Used high-contrast UI elements for better readability.
- 03
Text Scaling: Adjustable font sizes for improved accessibility in dialogue and menus.