Concrete Rift was created as a playable prototype for a 2D Action Brawler. The game was set in the high-rise headquarters of an experimental energy company. A demonstration gone wrong resulted in an explosion that caused the building to being to phase between multiple dimensions. The player would engage in combat, platforming and puzzle solving as the attempted to descend the floors of the building and save the other workers trapped inside.
The playable demo consisted of several themed levels including the rooftop, storage area, security checkpoint and general cubicle spaces. As the player descended floors, the fantasy elements would take over more and more of the environment, leaving only hints of the original office building scattered throughout.
Several interfaces were designed for the demo. The player had access to a Character Status menu that displayed general progress details. Between levels the player could spend experience points towards various skill improvements. Additional screens were created for gameplay help and narrative elements.
While a good portion of the world was created purely as pixel art, I found it useful to create concepts for the more complicated characters. This included the player, various NPCs and the many enemies of the game.
Creating this prototype gave me a new appreciation of the amount of work required for a fluid feeling 2D action game. Included below is a small fraction of the artwork created for the project.
