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Game development · 2024Ready

Descent Into Madness

A 2D pixel-art roguelike shooter built in Unity — descend, fight, and survive escalating runs.

Role
Solo developer: gameplay systems, C# scripting, pixel-art integration, and build/publish.
Stack
UnityC#Pixel artitch.io
Links
LiveSource
Descent Into Madness pixel dungeon cover

Context

Problem

A focused prototype for learning roguelike loops: procedural pressure, run-based progression, and tight shooting inside a pixel-art frame.

Approach

Solution

Built in Unity 2022.3 with C#, the game pairs pixel-art combat with a roguelike structure of escalating encounters, published as a playable build on itch.io.

Features

  • Run-based roguelike progression
  • Pixel-art enemies and environments
  • Twin-stick-style shooting
  • Playable build on itch.io

Architecture notes

  • Encounter and spawn logic is data-driven so runs vary without code changes.
  • Combat, movement, and UI are kept in separate Unity systems.

Challenges

  • Tuning difficulty escalation so runs stay tense but fair.

Outcome

A playable pixel roguelike prototype published on itch.io.

What I learned

Lessons learned

  1. 01Roguelike tension comes from pacing, not just enemy count.
  2. 02Shipping a build to itch.io forces real finish work a repo never demands.

Next steps

Next steps

  1. 01Add more enemy archetypes
  2. 02Expand run modifiers
  3. 03Capture gameplay footage

Related work

Game development

Unreal Battle Royale Prototype

A UE4 battle-royale prototype built with Blueprints — inventory, weapon handling, and core match systems.

PreviousUnreal Battle Royale PrototypeA UE4 battle-royale prototype built with Blueprints — inventory, weapon handling, and core match systems.
Back to archive
NextUI StudioA real-time collaborative design canvas where multiple people sketch, arrange, and edit the same board at once.
Back to archive
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M4RKYUM4RKYUM4RKYUM4RKYUM4RKYUM4RKYUM4RKYUM4RKYU
Crafted since 2024
ZhenXiao Mark YuZhenXiao Mark Yu
© 2026 ZhenXiao Mark Yu·Ontario, Canada
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Built with Next.js 16 · React 19 · Tailwind 4

Built with Next.js 16 · React 19 · Tailwind 4