Noel Brett
GAME DESIGN PROJECTS
Like the previous photo, I gave inspiration pictures to help the artist create the map given our design
A FALL GHOST STORY
2024 | Unity 6 | Game Jam Submission (3 Days)
Description:
You are a ghost-hunting aficionado seeking proof of the paranormal. Venturing into an abandoned, supposedly haunted house, you search each room for evidence, only to uncover pieces of the ghost's past instead.
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This game was prepared in 3 days for the Cozy Fall Game Jam 2024.
Theme: Fall, Cozy, and Expansion
DESIGN PHILOSOPHY
The game jam had three themes, and my team members also wanted to incorporate "liminal spaces."
Combining cozy and liminal spaces was challenging due to their opposing vibes—while both are about "the familiar", cozy is warm and nostalgic, whereas liminal is unsettling. We achieved a player experience within this intersection of themes through our level design, mechanics, art, and narrative:
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LEVEL DESIGN: A haunted house with familiar but unsettling spaces, like an empty hallway (a classic liminal space trope) that only stops expanding once all clues are collected
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ART: A cozy, fall-inspired style to balance the eerie liminality.
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MECHANICS. Taking photos to collect clues about the ghost’s life, turning scary moments into warm memories.
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NARRATIVE: Lighthearted storytelling that transforms the ghost from a fearful presence into a relatable, human character.
RESPONSIBILITIES
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Led and collaborated with a cross-functional team (artist, programmer, and sound designer)
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Met with each collaborator to help them in each of their areas and to ensure the meeting of deadlines
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Facilitated brainstorming sessions to establish design direction given the themes of the game jam
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Wrote detailed design documents for clear communication and team alignment.
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Wrote the script for the story
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Managed integration of game components to ensure seamless functionality.
TEAM
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Noel | Game, Level, and Narrative Designer
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CentricGames | Programmer
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Axajia | 3D Level Artist
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Evie London | Composer and Sound Designer
THE BIG GAY ADVENTURE
2023 | Unity | Game Jam Submission (1 Week)
Description: Having played the mighty Hero and freeing the people from the evils of Hetera Norma, you feel lost without your companions and your purpose. Return to the town that you saved through your heroic deeds and reconnect with your companions to discover how much has changed…
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The Big Gay Adventure™ is a bright and silly, JRPG-inspired game that explores identity, community, and free queer expression.
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This game was created for The Queerness and Game Jam 2023.
Theme: Queerness
DESIGN PHILOSOPHY
We aimed the player to feel a sense of queerness when playing the game by defining "queer" as the journey of discovering a new identity, subverting norms, and finding a sense of community. We achieved this player experience through the game's mechanics and narrative design:
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MECHANICS. Traditional RPG mechanics like attacking, defending, and fleeing result in losing the game, reinforcing the theme of subverting norms.​
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NARRATIVE: The Hero's journey focuses on supporting their community through non-violent means, reflecting the idea that a hero doesn’t need to rely on fighting to make an impact.
RESPONSIBILITIES
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Led and collaborated with a cross-functional team (artists, narrative designer, sound designer, and developer).
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Facilitated brainstorming sessions to establish design direction.
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Wrote detailed design documents for clear communication and team alignment.
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Implemented core game mechanics, including battle systems and dialogue interactions.
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Managed integration of game components to ensure seamless functionality.
TEAM
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Noel | Programmer & Game Designer
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Kris | Programmer
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Abby | UX/UI Designer, 2D Artist
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Jenn | Graphic Designer, 2D Artist
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Evie | Sound Designer
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Lucas | Narrative Writer
The Fox Knight
and the Banner of Valor
The Fox Knight and the Banner of Valor
2024 | Unity 6 | Game Jam Submission (1 Week)
Description: A souls-like game about simply collecting chickens that grow each second they are not picked up. Each chicken expands your backpack until you are too slow to avoid Tod, the Hen Keeper.
Once you collect all 9 chickens, head back to the spawn area to escape and successfully starve the evil farmer, ending his reign.
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This game was originally created for the Unity Game Jam 2024. Game was not submitted, but completed in the time frame and thus became a new personal project.
Theme: Expanding
DESIGN PHILOSOPHY
We aimed for the player to experience the theme of "expansion" by creating a sense of burden and difficulty whenever any "expansion" would occur. To do this, we adopted a "souls-like" gameplay style, where the core challenge is avoiding the boss (or farmer) while collecting chickens. Each collected chicken expands the player's bag and progressively slows them down, making the game increasingly challenging as the bag grows.
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To heighten the risk, we placed the chickens in areas that force the player into the boss' line of sight, as the boss AI targets and lunges at the player. We positioned each chicken such the player can clearly see the next objective, but must navigate the dangers to reach it.
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To complement the "souls-like" gameplay, we chose a medieval fantasy aesthetic. Additionally, instead of motivating the player with high scores, the challenge is centered around defeating a difficult boss. As the player improves with each attempt, they gain the confidence to eventually collect all the chickens and starve the boss.
RESPONSIBILITIES
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Facilitated brainstorming sessions to establish design direction.
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Designed player motivation, challenges, and goals.
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Designed and implemented level that would challenge the player given the boss' attack patterns and would fit with the intended atmospheric feel of the game.
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Co-implemented Boss AI.
TEAM
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Noel | Programmer & Game Designer
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Rick | Programmer, 3D Artist, and Animator
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Hakon | Sound Designer
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Edoardo | Composer
67 MANORWOOD COURT
2024 | Unity | Personal Project | Solo Project
Description: Sam has gone missing after venturing into the abandoned, and possibly haunted, house at 67 Manorwood Court. To save Sam, you must explore this creepy house, uncover its history, and escape the horrors that lurk within its hungry walls.
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This game is being prepared for Halloween.
Link coming soon.
DESIGN PHILOSOPHY
I decided to impose design constraints by taking inspiration from a previous game jam, where their theme was "Power Equals Pain."
To achieve this, I centered the main mechanics around how powering up your equipment would lower the player's health. This contributes to the horror atmosphere given that the player will have to often navigate the house in darkness, making it difficult to get through the obstacles and possibly get caught. Moreover, it creates a sense of urgency given that their health will dictate whether or not they can reach their goal.