Sword of Elara

Sword of Elara

Sword of Elara is a personal fun indie game project (under my solo development) that follows a girl named Aris from Alef Village who dreams of becoming a knight. After her village is destroyed, she seeks revenge by traveling to Eldoria to find a legendary sword, while evading monsters. This side-scrolling escape game features collectible powers, enemy-defeating abilities, and an ally recruitment system.

Scope of work: Character Design, Illustration, Static Visual Design, Game User Interface Design, Character Animation, Game Ads
Game Development, Game Asset Design, Game Coding

Designed and developed the overall game concept, narrative, worldbuilding, and gameplay systems
Created character designs, illustrations, enemy concepts, and environmental assets to establish the game's visual identity
Designed and prototyped game user interface (UI) elements, menus, HUDs, and player interaction systems
Produced character animations, visual effects, and game-ready assets for implementation
Developed marketing materials including social media posts, promotional visuals, trailers, and app store assets
Designed progression mechanics, collectible power systems, ally recruitment features, and gameplay balancing concepts
Managed the end-to-end creative direction of the project, ensuring consistency across storytelling, gameplay, and visual design
Built and iterated on the game development pipeline from concept ideation to playable prototype

Key Responsibilities

Game Play Store / App Store Ads

Paint Tool SAI

Game Character & Object Illustration

Game Marketing Materials Design

How can I create an entertaining endless runner and pixel art game that combines anime-inspired visuals with a captivating story that keeps players curious and emotionally invested?

Problem

Insight

Strategy

River City Girls 2 Gameplay

Sword of Elara Final Character Design Process

Previous Project

Next Project

Aseprite

Pixel Art Game Asset Design

Adobe Photoshop

Creative Software & Tools

The strategy focused on developing a visually engaging game world supported by a strong narrative and a memorable main character. By combining pixel art gameplay with anime-style character design, the game aims to create an experience that feels both exciting to play and meaningful to follow.

Unknown Knights Login Screen

Research into the side-scrolling game market and gaming communities revealed that players are drawn to games that offer more than simple mechanics. They enjoy memorable characters, visually appealing worlds, smooth gameplay, and story elements that give them a reason to keep progressing.

Research Purpose

Understand popular features, mechanics, and design elements that attract and retain players.
Evaluate strengths and weaknesses of existing games to find opportunities for innovation.
Gain insights into successful user engagement strategies, monetization models, and gameplay balancing techniques.