BeatBuster is a single-player, 3D rhythm-based hack-and-slash where the player battles their way through the music-powered city of Audiopolis. The player’s job is to destroy musical monstrosities known as Bad Vibes- a manifestation of corporate interference in the artistic process- and save Audiopolis from being overrun!
The game has been created over an 8-month period by a team of 10 called Distorted Mind Studios as our final ‘capstone’ project for our undergraduate degree.
BeatBuster is an homage to the cool ‘90s urban vibe set by games like Jet Set Radio and Crazy Taxi, being very cartoonish and allowing the players to enjoy the game’s music. It is meant to keep them excited and immersed in a very ‘cool’ world; To this aim, the game is designed to be accessible, ensuring that the player can succeed even if they are unable to consistently hold a rhythm. The game is in 3D, and is controlled from a 3rd-person perspective. It also makes liberal use of toon shaders and particle effects to achieve its visuals.
The style of the game is one which is very bright and neon, using a cel-shaded art style with an abundance of exciting hues including vivid yellows, reds, blues, pinks and greens. The characters of the game mainly resemble those of anime or manga. The environment takes place in a large and brilliant cyberpunk and tokyo-inspired city with many towering structures with unique and atypical architecture, filled with gleaming billboards, streetlights, and overhead signs.
The main character (Rookie), the Boss (DJ Slammer), supporting characters (The Controller, The Handywoman, The Big Guy, The Producers), as well as the enemies (Drones, Mouthpieces, Overloads, Crushendos, and Boombosses) are all vital characters to the world lore of Audiopolis. The supporting characters appear in-game as sprites that guide the Rookie throughout the city. The Rookie, Boss, as well as enemies, have been implemented in-game as 3D models based on their conceptual illustrations.
I have created these conceptual illustrations based on the descriptions of our Lead Designer and Creative Director, Jack Sparaga. I have collaborated extensively with Jack throughout the creative process, ensuring my best to accurately create a physical product of his creative vision.
I have 3D modeled and textured (hand painted) the Rookie, DJ Slammer, and all five enemy types in accordance with their concept art. These 3D models were later passed onto Distorted Mind’s animators, where they were skinned, rigged, animated, and implemented in BeatBuster.
Below is a collection of the user interface mockups that I have designed that were implemented in BeatBuster. Every icon, heading, and background element is a custom illustration created in Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop.
