Ghost Shadow - a shooter as an experiment.

With sufficient experience in development, I decided to create a small test demo of a first-person shooter. At the same time, I was playing the popular colorful shooter Bright Memory, created by a single person, Zeng Xiancheng, using the Unreal Engine. I was really curious to test this hypothesis. My goal was to create a demo level with AA quality: a colorful and diverse level, linear gameplay, a couple of bosses, and 2-3 enemies per level. I also came up with a small story for the main character and began working, using the Epic Marketplace.

I took the framework for the main character from the Low Poly Shooter Pack, modified it to suit my needs so that I could easily replace animations, effects, and weapon meshes. Using the Sci-Fi Weapons asset, I set up the weapons. For enemies, I used the Skinned Decal Component plugin: instead of attaching blood as a decal, it was drawn directly on the skeletal mesh, which added a unique touch to the damage effect.

I created two bosses: the main one — a small spaceship, and the mid-level one — a mage who shoots magical orbs.

I built the level from blocks, placed enemies, and tested it to check how everything looked from a gameplay perspective. It seemed fine to me.

Then, I focused on level design, again using assets from the marketplace. I combined the ancient ruins nature asset with a futuristic sci-fi asset, and visually, I think it turned out really well. I prepared the assets for light baking, baked the light, and optimized the game.

Next, I created the characters in MetaHuman, developed animations in Sequencer, and arranged them according to the script. Finally, I worked on the menu, UI, and sound effects. This took a lot of time, and in the end, I assembled everything in about 6-7 months in my free time.

Final Thoughts. In my opinion, the game turned out visually beautiful: it's enjoyable to control the character, use weapons, and experience the game mechanics. The variety of location styles keeps the player visually engaged. Smooth enemy animations, bright visual effects for explosions and weapons — all of that is done well.

It's a cool idea to possess animals and insects to open locks and doors.

However, I realize that the gameplay itself turned out to be less successful. Looking back, I can see it clearly now — perhaps I lacked experience.

1. I over-saturated the game with battle dynamics — there are too many combat scenes and no narrative.

2. The enemies attack too intensely: the Sci-Fi machine gunner shoots at the main character as if he's trapped, which doesn't allow the player to enjoy the game properly.

3. All enemies simply rush at the main character, without using other animations like idle or strafe when needed. Enemies should dodge, hide, and attack in bursts.

4. In some places, I lacked 3D modeling skills to create things like a castle that opens up something unique.

5. The script was too simple, but for a shooter, this isn't as critical.

6. The enemy placement in the levels was incorrect. The main character should feel superior to the enemies. It should be comfortable to fight. If many enemies are charging the character in close combat, the space should be larger and more open for maneuvering, not cramped. If a machine gunner is shooting intensely, not allowing the character to pass, the platform should be large, but with plenty of cover.

   
   

Additionally, the demo didn't undergo playtests. I learned about development cycles from the book “Game Design: How to Create a Game That Everyone Will Play” — there should be at least 5 cycles, in my opinion, for this demo game. Most likely, the level would have had to be completely redesigned, or even created from scratch. But the fact that the engine allows you to create games on your own is definitely true. It's impossible to account for everything at once, and working in a team is, of course, much more efficient.

What can be done now? I have a good shooter template with all the mechanics and settings. You can add any weapons, set up any enemies by their parameters. I'm proficient with Sequencer and can create quality cutscenes for the game. I am good in level design, and in the end, I know what needs to be fine-tuned for the final product. This demo lacks gameplay; perhaps a story and more internal lore are missing. I made this demo on my own, and I definitely lacked experience in gameplay design. But I'm always ready to return to this project and finish it. If this article has caught your interest, feel free to email me, and we can discuss further collaboration.

"If anyone needs Steam keys, I can share them. Feel free to email me."