Blinded
Blinded is a 2D side-scrolling action RPG inspired by the Souls-like genre.
Featuring intense combat, stamina management, and a deep progression system.
The game takes place in a world shrouded in darkness,
where the protagonist must regain the lost colors of the world by defeating formidable foes.
Want to see more of Blinded?
Informations
Role
Lead Designer, Lead Artist, Associate Programmer
Date
09/2022 - 06/2023
Genre
2D Side-scrolling Souls-like Action RPG
Used Engine & Tools
Engine: Custom Engine based on C++
Tools: Microsoft Visual Studio 2022 IDE, Microsoft Excel,
Aseprite, Microsoft Whiteboard, GitHub
Project Type & Team
Academic Project, Team LowMan (5 People)
Location
DigiPen Institute of Technology (KMU), Daegu,
Republic of Korea
Process Overview
- Blinded
As the lead designer of Blinded project, I led the entire design process from concept to final balance.
I established the genre, platform, and core vision, defined the design pillars, and crafted the gameplay loop and mechanics.
From enemy behaviors to boss patterns, all systems were prototyped, tested, documented, and finally iterated directly through player feedback.
Below is a step-by-step breakdown of making Blinded.
Workflow
Concept & Vision
I began by defining Blinded as a 2D side-scrolling action RPG inspired by Soulslike design. I wanted to capture the sense of tension, mastery, and rhythm from the genre. While stripping it down to its most essential elements.
The game’s visual theme centers on a world that has lost all color, where players restore it through progress and perseverance. That core fantasy of regaining light shaped both the narrative and gameplay direction.
Designed for the Windows platform with minimal input requirements, the project focused on mechanical clarity over complexity. Early concept work included competitor analysis, emotional tone planning, and identifying what kind of "friction" and "flow" I wanted the player to feel.
System Foundation
With the game’s vision defined, I established three core design pillars:
Clarity, Challenge, and Meaningful Death.
These guided every mechanic I built.
The core loop revolves around precision combat, stamina management, and player growth. The player faces deliberate pacing. Every attack, dodge, or progress must be earned by the player's patience and understanding.
I designed a stamina-based combat system from scratch, tuning hit-stop feedback, action delays, and input commitment. This formed the foundation for every encounter.
The loop was designed to support skill mastery through iteration, encouraging the player to learn, adapt, and overcome without relying on hard grinding or luck.
Combat & Content Design
Around the core combat, I designed supporting systems such as player growth, gameplay action, and limited healing. These added progression and tension without diluting the game’s clarity.
Each boss was handcrafted with its own rhythm, theme, and behavioral rules. I mapped out every attack with premonitory signals, clear reaction timing, and stamina pressure, ensuring a learning curve that rewarded observation over reaction time.
Rather than giving pressure to the player with randomness, I focused on readable intensity. Attacks that feel fair but require attention and precision. The bosses served as final exams for each theme I built.
Iteration & Polish
Once the systems were in place, I ran multiple internal/external playtests focusing on clarity, pacing, and failure feedback. I observed where players struggled, where tension dropped, and which mechanics felt unintentionally over-punishing.
Based on feedback, I tuned stamina costs, enemy HP, animation delays, and boss aggression rates. Every tweak aimed to reinforce player understanding and preserve the intended learning curve.
I didn’t chase “difficulty” for its own sake. I chased meaningful resistance, where each death taught something, and each victory felt fully earned.
