Presentation

Artefacts Studio, France - Rhythmic combat game – 2006 - Proprietary Engine

Dancefloor was my first project as a game designer. It is a rhythm game for the Nintendo DS, inspired by the Bust‑a‑Groove series.
The game was designed to be played with a proprietary peripheral that the publisher intended to sell alongside the game, which shaped the entire concept.

I designed a system that moved away from the classic Dance Dance Revolution‑style rhythm games of the time, incorporating principles from the beat’em up genre and making extensive use of the Nintendo DS touch screen.
We had to build our own tools to create rhythm patterns based on a playlist of songs provided by the publisher, which formed the basis of our level design.

The peripheral never reached us in any form during development, which forced me to design the game essentially blind and make strong design decisions I would not have made otherwise.

I was also responsible for training an intern.

Tasks

• Game concept based on the client’s proposal.
• Game design built around a hypothetical peripheral to be sold with the game (which ultimately turned out to be a simple latex sheet placed over the bottom screen). This shaped the entire concept.
• Character abilities and universe design together with the character designer.
• Designing rhythmic patterns for the dance gameplay, combos, and the life system.
• Mentoring an intern.