AidanBaconGames

Ascendia

This was a project originally created for the Game Maker’s Tool Kit game jam in august, 2023. Mechanically, it’s a tight 3D first person race-to-the-top platformer, featuring a unique gliding mechanic.

This project was created in 4 days by a team of 3. I was responsible for the UI, design, 3D modeling, and the majority of programming, as well as the general production and management.

There were over 7,500 games submitted to the jam and we were ranked 202th overall and 47th in the style category, resulting in top 2% and top 0.6% score respectively. We’re working on a steam version, with a full release planned early 2025

Tale of Mirror Knight

Whoever heard of a knight without a sword? this project is a short roguelike platformer game where the titular knight must use his shield to block deadly traps and find his way through a smoke-filled, procedurally generated castle, all before defeating a dragon with multiple stages and different attacks.

It was created for a 5 day game jam by a team of 9 people, and I was responsible for production, programming, sounds, background art, and level design. While managing a team of that size for such a short project had its difficulties, I was able to coordinate everyone and the finished game was polished and complete, winning 6th overall and 2nd place in both audio and visuals for the game jam.

H2Origins

This was a project created for a company called Legends of Learning, which is an educational games platform for schools. H2Origins is a game that teaches 10-14 year olds about the water cycle by simulating the reaction of water to the different forces of nature that the player controls and visually showing the effects of their actions.

This was a solo project created over 12 weeks. The challenges of an educational title taught me to think differently about design and there were many times where the concept had to adapt to the struggle between fun and learning. Additionally, the final product was required to communicate with the company’s API, which included text to speech, full translation, and cloud-based serialization, all of which required dedicated systems within the game.

Considerate Inferno

Play as mother nature and burn down the forest on each level in a cleaning fire using all the abilities at your disposal. Experience the dangerous effects of human wildfire prevention in each level of this puzzle game as you try to raze the forest before the humans can extinguish your flames.

Created October 2023 in one weekend by a 2 person team. I was responsible for the programming, design, UI, and sound. The game features a cellular automata style fire spread system that takes into account the amount of fuel and humidity on each tile, which was a fun challenge to create and helped set the game apart from similar titles.

Enchanted Eats

This is a cooking game with a narrative twist – you’re a small magical chef that just opened a new restaurant and you have 1 month to prove yourself! Over the course of the game you’ll add new ingredients, equipment and dishes to your kitchen and get to know all your customers.

This game was created over the course of 10 weeks by a 6 person team and has just over 2 hours of content. I was responsible for production and the main programmer for the cooking and systems and UI. The process of creating the cooking system taught me a lot about how to work with designers and why a flexible structure is important.

Murky Waters

Created for a horror-themed game jam in October 2023, this game traps the player in a claustrophobic and barely functional submarine, then tasks them with solving the mysterious disappearance of a nearby research base. Control the different systems of the sub and make sure not to make too much noise!

This project was created by a 3 person team and I was in charge of design, programming, and 3D modeling. I’m really happy with the mechanics for the sub’s systems and I like the mix of scripted and organic encounters with the monsters throughout the game.

B.E.A.N. Reloaded

Control the ‘Beyond Earth Armored Nexus’ in this roguelike sidescroller set on an alien planet and destroy the toxic plants and dangerous creatures to purify this world. Use all the mech’s abilities, including 3 different primary weapons to go as far as you can and upgrade your vehicle with scrap you find along the way.

BEAN Reloaded was created for a 5 day game jam in June 2023 by a 4 person team. I was responsible for the programming, background art, and design of the game. We won 2nd place for graphics and 9th overall in the jam. This project taught me about the importance of post-processing effects and how to stretch a small amount of content with procedural systems and dynamic content.

Two Swords

Find a friend and two controllers to play this 1v1 narrative fighting game! The game takes place over the course of 3 fights between Eli and Maxwell, with each fight happening at different points in their lives. The outcome of the fights affects the stories of the characters, with 8 unique endings and more abilities that get unlocked as the characters grow up.

Two Swords was created in April 2023 by a team of two people and I was in charge of design, programming, and animation. Working on this game taught me how to write expandable systems and gave me a lot of the skills to complete projects quickly.

Womboto Roboto

Play as a lone robot, woken up thousands of years after your society collapsed. The ruins of the city you once called home have been reclaimed by nature and overrun with fearsome monsters. Find and reactivate your lost friends, turn your ancient weapons on the beats, and solve the mystery of what happened all those years ago.

This game was made in December 2022 by a team of 8 over a two week period as a student project. I was responsible for the combat, upgrades, and environment art, as well as overall UX design. It was one of the first times I was designing an entire environment and I learned a lot about how to create a cohesive player experience.