Cora's Redemption

Project Overview

Cora's Redemption is a game built upon its predecessor, Cora's Beginning, incorporating enhanced mechanics and narrative elements such as branching dialogue, optional areas, and new enemy AI types. The project also improved the visual quality with parallax backgrounds and additional visual features. One of the key goals was to refine my skills in Unreal Engine while creating a meaningful portfolio piece. However, I faced several challenges, including underestimating the complexity of implementing branching narratives, and technical difficulties with porting to Android. Despite this, I successfully delivered the project as intended, meeting my personal and professional objectives.

Design Process

Concept Development:
Expanded upon the success of Cora's Beginning, with a focus on improving player engagement. Developed branching dialogue, optional exploration areas, and enhanced enemy AI to create a more dynamic player experience. Set primary project goals to refine Unreal Engine skills and create a more immersive gameplay experience.

Prototyping and Iteration:
Prototyped key mechanics like the dash and upgraded AI systems to test feasibility and engagement. Iterations revealed the complexity of the branching narrative system, leading to scope adjustments and a more straightforward approach to dialogue and event scripting.

Level Design:
Designed environments that complemented new player mechanics, encouraging exploration while guiding players with clear signposting. Balanced difficulty to reward players for discovering hidden areas without overwhelming them.

AI and Systems Implementation:
Used Unreal Engine’s Blueprints to create adaptive enemy AI that responds to player actions and upgrades, offering unique challenges based on player progress.

Visual Design and UI Integration:
Enhanced the visual aesthetic with parallax backgrounds and improved UI elements. Integrated new UI assets from external sources like itch.io, improving overall presentation and user experience through clear icons and menus.

Features

Cora

Cora is the main character in the game. In the first game, she went exploring and ended up gaining great strength, but got lost in the process. This game takes place as she returns home, but it turns out she won't be able to do it alone after all.

Blaze - NPC

Blaze is a character that Cora encounters in one of the locations below. Like her, the monster that took her village took his home and he's trying to find answers. He agrees to help her as he takes part in his own journey.

Bahamut - NPC

Bahamut is another lost soul, taken from his home and imprisoned below the lightning wasteland. Cora has the opportunity to free him, and if she does she will be able to find him back in his own home which has been decimated. He will go on to help Cora anyways.

Entity - NPC

This NPC is very mysterious and sinister, however if Cora chooses to free it, she will gain an increased melee damage bonus as a reward. However, this will end up costing her and others dearly...

Reapers - NPC

The origin of Reapers are unknown. However, they are there to help Cora on her journey to beat the creature that took everything from her. They have a heavy interest in helping her become stronger to defeat her enemies, but their true motivation is not yet clear.

Boss

This creature shows up at the beginning of the game, setting Cora's home aflame. As Cora barely escapes, it becomes apparent she is only it's latest victim. It's origins are also unknown, however it is suspected it is connected to the Reapers in some way.

Dash unlock

This is Cora's first unlockable ability, allowing her to move forward at a fast rate. She can use it in the air as well, with both versions having different VFX for her character.

Double jump unlock

This unlockable ability further changes how Cora traverses environments in games. It allows her to easily clear otherwise troublesome obstacles and is needed to pass the "Cyberpunk 7022" level, as well as to access the second half of the Lightning Wasteland.

Melee damage upgrades

These permanently double Cora's attack power for her sword. As the game progresses, she becomes stronger until enemies that previously stood a chance are reduced to a useless pile on the floor.

Axe number upgrades

These items double the amount of axes that Cora carries. The amount is then saved by the game and carried over as she progresses.

Diamond

These rare diamonds award the player at the very least twenty gold coins each.

Wooden chest

These chests tend to contain very valuable items, such as extra lives and damage boosts.

Wooden barrel

These are breakable barrels containing small items like coins and food.

Thunderclap

This is the axe that is thrown by the player. It is imbued with the element of lightning, further increasing their damage.

Coins

These can be collected by the player as they make their way through the game. Collecting one hundred awards the player an extra life. Enemies will also drop these on death - depending on the enemy type, more may drop from specific enemies.

"Future" coins

These coins are green in colour and rather than being dropped by enemies respawn a few seconds after being picked up by the player, allowing vast amounts to be collected in a short amount of time.

Food

These items will heal Cora for varying amounts, depending on the type consumed.

Extra life

Quite simply gives the player an additional life. Lives are also awarded if the player collects one hundred coins.

Locations

Cora's Home

Cora's home is in the country, far away from any bigger settlements. Usually it is very peaceful and they rarely have trouble, which is why she ventures out to explore in the first place. Throughout the game the people and the location are constantly under threat.

Lightning Wasteland

This barren wasteland is what remains of a land violated by the same monster that set Cora's home ablaze. Life still lingers underneath, albeit evil...

Desolate Forest

The sky here is a blood red, with the darkness surrounding the player only serving to further enhance the grip these dark events have on Cora.

Cyberpunk 7022

Set in the distant future, in this area Cora is forced to run to the right until she reaches the end. Full of toxic waste, bustling city streets and even fire traps, this area is full of fun challenges.

Sunken Evil

This area is what used to be a beautiful grassland, before underneath it was corrupted and populated with demons.

Post-Mortem

What Went Well:

Mechanics Development:
The implementation of the dash mechanic and enhanced enemy AI worked smoothly and added depth to the player experience. These systems integrated well with the core gameplay, providing fluid and responsive combat and exploration.

Level Design:
The levels successfully encouraged exploration without overwhelming the player. Signposting helped guide players subtly, and hidden areas offered rewarding discoveries, balancing challenge and accessibility.

Narrative Choices:
While simplified, the branching dialogue system provided a sense of agency. Player choices were impactful enough to engage users without complicating the overall storyline.

Challenges Faced:

Complexity of Branching Dialogue:
Initially, the branching narrative system proved to be more complex than anticipated, which required scaling back some of the planned dialogue options. Simplifying the system allowed for a more cohesive storyline, though it limited the depth of some player choices.
Time Constraints:
Due to time limitations, certain features, such as advanced AI behaviors and more intricate narrative branches, had to be postponed for future updates. This taught me to focus on prioritising key elements for the initial release while leaving room for future iteration.
Balancing Difficulty:
Tuning the difficulty of enemy AI to match player progression was a challenge. Early iterations were either too easy or overly difficult, requiring multiple adjustments to create a balanced experience.

What Could Be Improved:

Expanding Narrative Complexity:
With more time, the narrative system could be expanded to include more meaningful and divergent story branches. Future updates will focus on adding more complexity to player decisions.
AI Refinements:
While the AI performed well overall, there are additional behaviors I’d like to implement, such as more adaptive enemy responses to player strategies and environmental changes.
Polish and Visuals:
While the game achieved a polished look, further improvements in visual feedback, such as enhanced animations or additional effects for combat and exploration, could improve the overall player experience.

Key Takeaways:

Simplifying for Scope:
One major takeaway was learning to simplify ambitious mechanics and narrative systems to fit within the scope of the project. By focusing on core gameplay features first, I ensured that the game was functional and fun, even with a reduced feature set.
Iterative Development:
Iterating on core mechanics, such as the dash and AI, helped refine the gameplay experience. Regular playtesting and feedback loops were essential to ensuring a smooth and balanced game.
Future Growth:
The project highlighted areas for growth, particularly in narrative design and AI development. These will be the focus of future updates or projects.