Advance
Move through side-scrolling levels while jumping across environmental hazards.
University Project · 2018
Twisted 80s
Fight, jump and shoot through a neon-soaked side-scrolling world inspired by exaggerated 1980s action and aesthetics.
Project Overview
Neon action.
Dangerous ninjas.
Stolen dignity.
Twisted 80s is a 2D action-platformer created for a university end-of-year presentation.
Players control Jack Nolan, an action hero betrayed and left imprisoned by his former partner. Jack must escape, fight through hostile environments and pursue the person responsible.
The game combines platforming, firearms, melee combat and collectibles with a deliberately exaggerated 1980s-inspired visual identity.
- My Role
-
Primary Development,
Art and Game Design - Engine
- Unity
- Platform
- Windows
- Team
-
Student Team
Primary Developer - Development
-
2018 University Project
Completed Prototype
Project Origin
Twisted 80s was my first official game-development project and my first opportunity to build a complete playable game in Unity.
The university brief allowed the team to create any type of game for presentation at the end of the academic year.
We chose a 2D platformer because it provided room to experiment with movement, combat, animation, enemy behaviour and level progression within one project.
Core Player Loop
Fight
Defeat enemies using ranged weapons and close-range melee attacks.
Collect
Search each level for coins and additional collectibles while progressing.
Complete
Reach the end of the level to unlock the next stage of Jack’s journey.
Gameplay Systems
The project brought together the first complete collection of gameplay systems I had created.
Side-Scrolling Movement
Jump and Double Jump
Projectile Combat
Melee Combat
Enemy Variants
Coins and Collectibles
My Contribution
As team contributions became limited, I assumed primary responsibility for assembling and completing the final playable build.
Game Design
Gameplay Programming
2D Artwork
Animation
Level Design
Enemy Implementation
UI Design
Main Menu
Build Production
Developed with Sammy, Toni, Eliot and Nick, with additional contributions from John and Yoan.
Development Challenge
The greatest challenge was completing an ambitious game while learning nearly every part of development for the first time.
At the beginning of the project, I had limited experience with programming, animation, Unity and creating complete gameplay systems.
Taking primary responsibility required me to learn each discipline quickly, connect the systems together and prepare a stable build for the final presentation.
The experience became an important foundation for the broader design and development skills used in my later projects.
Game Gallery
Welcome To
The Neon Future
Gameplay footage and screenshots showing the project’s platforming, combat, environments and 1980s-inspired presentation.
Final Reflection
Twisted 80s represents the beginning of my practical journey into complete game development.
I remain particularly proud of the main menu, original artwork and the amount I learned while turning the project into a finished playable build.
While the project reflects my early experience, completing it established the independence, adaptability and multidisciplinary approach that shaped my future work.
Download Twisted 80s on itch.io