DESIGNER
WU ZIHAN
2020-2023
PORTFOLIO Game Design Portfolio
CONTENTS
Wu Zihan www.youtube.com/@zihan1206
01
02
03
A top-down action adventure game.
A Strategic puzzle game.
A 3D side-scrolling adventure game.
04
05
06
First-person exploration game.
A casual exploration interactive game.
Other Works in My Academic Career.
Black is back
Fresh Power
Inner Root
Central Academy of Fine Arts Department: School of City Design Major: Design Program Gender: Female Hello, I'm Zihan Wu, from Nanjing, China, majoring in Game Design. In my professional life, I specialize in the artistic aspects, excelling in scene design while also balancing planning and animation. In my personal life, I have a passion for nature, and I'm known for my cheerful personality. I enjoy camping and skiing. I look forward to sharing my world with you through my works.
Infinite
Traveling cat of the Forbidden city
Other Works
Feel free to explore the first piece below
Game Visuals:2D+3D Game Genre: Action-Adventure RPG, Storytelling
Black Is Back is a top-down action adventure game, where the player will play as a small cat “Black”, who has returned to the 'Planet of Meow' after an accident resulting in its death. To return to the human world, Black must endlessly collect the souls of other cats while avoiding the cats' pursuit through the complex and intricate streets.
My main roles within the project: Game Artist / Environment Artist / Level Artist / 3D Modeler
https://youtu.be/ZUNo5AlaBOs
01/Game Concept Origin
02/Core Game Mechanics
The story of the game is set
Game Objective
Black Is Back consists of a 2D hand-drawn art style cat to be in the 'Planet of Meow', community, 'Planet of Meow', the afterlife world of cats. Our and 3D in-game level world. protagonist 'Black' arrived here Within the Planet of Meow, after passing away from a car wwThese versatile areas provide accident. For the art style we players with a wealth of space adopted a comic style’s heavy to explore. The game levels are outlining and paper cutouts also embedded in Planet Meow. mixing with 3D stylized rendering, Players can access the levels and the game characters and sequentially through animations were all hand drawn. the 'Target Gate'.
Collect the required amount of souls, avoid the enemy’s pursuit, escape from the yellow exit. Find Buckle within the Cat Community after completing all levels to fulfill the promise of returning home.
Basic Actions
WASD TO MOVE
Black can accumulate stamina as he moves.
SPACE TO JUMP
Jumping consumes stamina, if stamina level is too low then jumping is disabled, absorbing souls will slow down speed.
“Three-in-one” Merge Mechanism
HOLD SHIFT TO ABSORB SOUL
Approach the enemies and collect souls, the collected souls will tail behind the player, the enemies will continue their pursuit until they retrieve their souls.
CLICK MINIMAP TO VIEW MAP
Mini-map can be utilized to check player location and exit location, as the player progresses upgrades can be made to check enemy location.
The souls collected by Black will follow behind him like a tail, the tail is lengthened as the number of souls accumulate. To avoid excessive length of the tail making the objective too difficult to accomplish, the “Three-in-one” merge mechanism was implemented. Three souls of three different colors will merge to become one large pink soul, vastly reducing the length of the soul trail, but if the pink soul was caught by the enemy, then it would explode and scatter the souls across the map rather than return to the original owners of each soul, requiring the player to retrieve them once again.
+ Opening Narration Animation Sequence 1
Opening Narration Animation Sequence 2
+
= Three souls of the colors Red, Yellow and Blue are required to form a Pink soul !
03/Character Design Main Character Designs
Important NPCs
MOLLY Molly is an awfully shy cat, she’s quite small and is always hiding in a paper bag, but her curious eyes are always peering at everything around her, observing everything happening on Planet of Meows. She is best friends with Max.
BLACK Black is a scaredy cat who was once heavily reliant on his owner, but a car accident had brought him to the Planet of Meows. Convinced by Buckle, he began his quest of soul collecting to reunite with his owner.
BUCKLE Buckle was a disabled stray, adopted by the same owner as Black and was filled with animosity towards Black even to his death. After arriving at the Planet of Meows, his crazed obsession with returning to the Human World led him to believe without a shadow of doubt that collecting souls would allow him to return… but who was the one to tell him that in the first place?
Black’s first encounter with an inhabitant of the Planet of Meows was with Max, and naturally, they became very good friends.
MAX Max is fashionable and confident, has a slender build and always wears a pair of fancy sunglasses. As the receptionist for those who arrived at the afterlife, he knows every little detail about the Planet of Meows.
RENA Rena is a nonconforming cat, she is the shopkeeper of the item store. She enjoys exploring mysterious lands untouched by others. Her short-term memory causes her to continuously set places that she’s been to a million times as her next destination for exploration.
Enemy Design Red Pants cat Basic enemy, slow movement speed, chases after the player from behind them.
Sneaky-looking cat
Wide Shouldered cat
Enemy with high mobility, has faster movement speed, will shortly pause and rest after moments of pursuit, will chase the player from the front.
Enemy with huge physique, slow movement speed, player cannot leap over or go around, chases player from the side.
04/Level and Environment Design Hidden Level 3 Snowy Night Hidden special level, must meet a special requirement to unlock...
Level 1-Learning How to Play Movement, Jumping, Absorbing, Requirement to Pass
Level 2-Terrain Interactions
Utilize the difference in terrain heights to avoid the enemies’ pursuit.
Level 3-Leading Away
Attract the enemy away from the path to earn more time for soul collection. Health Bar: Lose 1 heart from enemy attacks, game over at 0.
Level 4-Improving
New enemy introduced, Sneaky-looking cat.
Level 6-A little difficult
Level 7-New Enemy
Level 8-Merge Mechanism
Introducing the “three in one” merge mechanism.
Filter One
Filter Two
Stamina Bar: Walking restores stamina, if stamina is too low then player cannot jump or absorb souls. Number of Souls: Required number of souls to collect, the required amount must be met for the player to pass.
Level 5-New Enemy
Difficulty raised, the player must plan their order of actions.
Compilation of all the game mechanisms so far.
As the players get through more levels, a wider variety of enemies and different terrains are introduced
Introducing new enemy Wide Shouldered cat.
Mini-map: Level minimap displays the exit and player location.
Level 9-Final Level
Summary of the game mechanisms from previous levels.
In Game Screenshots
05/Cat Community-the Planet of Meows
Trading System
At the ending of every level, different souls sell for different prices of gold coins which can then be used at Rena’s shop to purchase items.
Extra Life
After purchase player will have one extra life.
The Planet of Meows is divided into three major sectors, the commercial areas, residential areas, and amusement park, within there are interactable housing such as the shop.
Rena’s shop, the player can purchase level items to upgrade certain skills.
Curse Doll After purchase player can absorb souls from farther away.
Extra energy
Boosting Portion
Map Upgrade
After purchase player will have double stamina.
After purchase souls will follow player at a faster speed.
After purchase the map will display the enemy types and locations.
In Game NPC Dialogue
Rena’s shop
Amusement park
Residential area
Commercial street
06/Past Life and Present Day
Buckle’s cat bed patched up from tears, looks aged and still has medicine for cat health and food…
Black and Owner’s Picture together.
Buckle and Owner’s Picture together, but something seems off...
Opening Animation: Black’s Memories.
Mo
Black’s Owner’s Favorite Sleep Mask.
Black's cat nest with Black's favorite red scarf hanging on it.
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The child stroller from the Owner’s house, often used when Black was a kitten to go on walks, before was used by the Owner’s child. , st
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"The cat in red underwear looks so funny when its running lmaooooooo~" Hi, I’m Ben, I’m going to read a lot today!
Hello, do you need your air conditioner fixed? I’m looking for Max, have you seen him?
Hello, I’m Max, would you like to go out and play together?
Come check out my shop!
Don’t look at me...
"Black is so cute, he’s like a little bat~~ " Little white...
We’ve had some new stock come in these days, price is reasonable, come take a look!
"I like Max so much he wiggles when he walks."
Woohoo!
Fresh Power
Crafted with real materials, a board game that wilts over time.
Tags: Board game, Simulation, Turn-based strategy, Relaxation Number of players: 2 Game duration: Half an hour
Fresh Power is a strategic puzzle game that allows you to enjoy tranquility of both mind and body. Through assembling various real materials to create landscape tiles, continuously explore the vibrant scenery of natural habitats, and create your own little world!
01/Inspiration and Research My inspiration for this project came from "Sketchbook Explorations," a book exploring mixed-media techniques. The cover had a specially crafted velvet texture. The moment I touched it, I conceived the idea of creating a tactile material game, giving birth to Fresh Power. Though it might sound impulsive, who can control a moment of inspiration?
Material Study
Material Information Card, from left to right: moss, soil, sand, water (made with slime), snow (made with snow powder)
Velvet Texture
Author: Shelley Rhodes
Inspiration tags
Grassland tile
Wetland tile
Desert tile
Water area tile
Snowfield tile
02/Experimental process Gameplay testing—Material selection—Cutting presets—Completion. Here, I showcase the tools and materials used in the creation, along with test sketches.
Sketches during design
Photography: Details of the board game
Five natural ingredients + hexagonal wooden pieces + glue + stone clay + pigments + fragments of rain flower stone
Overall display of the board game
Steps in the production of the game
Used cardboard models to test the game's strategic playability.
KEEP FRESH Preservation measures for moss when traveling
China's natural geographical landscapes are diverse. I selected five typical natural environments—grassland, wetland, desert, snowfield, and lake—to compose the board game's map tiles.
Compared with the size of hexagonal wooden cards, cut moss to create grassland tiles.
Glued moss onto wooden pieces, Added mini rain flower stones; forming the initial structure of the the grassland and soil tiles are tiles. now preliminarily complete.
03/Components and layout
Remember to take adjacent habitat tiles~
PLAYER A Riverstones Currency
Landscape tiles
Natural event cards (25 cards) Riverstones Currency (1 bag) Riverstones, a type of natural agate, is a famous specialty of Nanjing and Yizheng in China, used as currency in the game.
Landscape tiles (50 pieces) Grassland tile / Wetland tile / Desert tile / Water area tile / Snowfield tile
Animal pieces (five types, each with 10 pieces: 5×10) Pieces can only be placed on their corresponding tiles. For example, the giant panda can only be placed on grassland and wetland tiles.
Event cards have positive and negative effects, influencing player actions or habitat prices. Event card names
Event card skill effects
Who the effects apply to
Nature Event Cards Number of turns the effects last Tibetan fox
Tibetan antelope
Giant panda
Red-crowned crane
Snow leopard
Animal pieces
PLAYER B Pay attention to financial issues.
04/Game Instruction Manual Each type of animal can only be placed on its corresponding habitat. While there is no mandatory connection between habitat types, the habitat with the largest connected area of the same type can earn bonus points during scoring.
Start
· ·
Tibetan fox, Tibetan antelope, panda, red-crowned crane, and snow leopard.
Victory condition: The player with the highest overall score wins.
Core Mechanic: Area Control
Players purchase habitat tiles and connect them with the initial piece,then place the initial animal
Grassland, wetland, desert, lake, and snowfield.
Initial setup: Five Riverstones currencies + one initial land piece + one random animal
Draw a random event card from the next player's deck, gaining a positive or negative buff
· ·
Event card effects are divided into single-target and multitarget. Event cards affect habitat purchase prices or player action rounds.
Draw animal tokens from the public pool and place them on the corresponding habitat
Players buy habitats and draw animals based on the effects of the event card
·
Habitat tiles with rain flower stones may appear in the public resource pool. Successfully dispatching an animal token can earn rain flower stones.
·
If there is no place to put the animals this round, they return, and the player gains one currency.
When all public resource habitats are bought, the game ends, and players tally their scores
·
Final score = the largest connected habitat area + remaining rain flower stone quantity.
05/Real-life Showcase
My Role in the Project: Level Design/Environment Art/3D Modeling/Scene and Character Texture Drawing Inner Root is a 3D side-scrolling adventure game where players take on the role of a robot with the singular desire to become human. In the face of challenges and adventures, the player will bury their mechanical heart beneath the Life Tree and undergo a magical transformation into a human through the roots of the Life Tree.
https://youtu.be/HvQRgv5EDHM
01/Gaming intro and background During gameplay, players must collect color-changing fruits scattered throughout the scenes to gain colors. They then use these colors to match the enemy's light, avoiding detection. In the final level, players employ rolling skills to evade deadly security lines, ultimately finding the Life Tree and burying their heart beneath its roots.
Narrative Story Version 1
Narrative Story Version 2
In lore, gods shaped humans with care, Man crafted machines, creations rare. If human roots trace divine's embrace, My roots, with humans, find their place.
As I lay my mechanical heart to rest, Beneath Life Tree, in human quest. Transformed, I find my roots revealed, A journey complete, destiny sealed.
My roots are in humanity.
I desire to bury my heart.
Narrative Story Version 3
Pilgrim's road, a challenge untold, Enemies varied, colors unfold. In unity of hue, our secrets sealed, Fruits grant colors, our fate is congealed. Switching colors to protect myself.
Narrative Story Version 4
Narrative Story Version 5
Endless journey, the destination found, Heart buried deep, in sacred ground. Body sways with the Life Tree's dance, Soul drifts away, in a cosmic trance.
A seed I sow, with a whispered song, In my heart, where dreams belong. With each tomorrow, a promise strong, In my heart, echoes the future's gong.
The journey reaches its end.
Burying my heart beneath the sacred tree.
02/Core Gameplay Design Level 1
Basic player controls
WASD to move. Hold SHIFT for slow movement.
Level 2
Spacebar to roll.
Static enemies
fruits
F to pick up fruits. Color Scheme for Level 1: Purple and Green. ZXCV to switch colors.
Note: Failure results in returning to the starting point.
Use the elevator at the end of the road to proceed to the next level.
Static enemies
Dynamic patrolling enemies: Light-shooting metal robots with a similar appearance to the protagonist but lacking a heart in their chest.
Security Lines
Advanced player controls
New Colors Introduced: Blue and Orange.
Introduction of Security Lines and Dynamic Patrol Switching colors is necessary to deal with different Enemies, requiring players to pick up fruits while patrol enemies. rolling.
Level concept sketches
03/Scene and Character Design Second-level teleportation elevator
Enemies and security lines
Protagonist sketches
Human heart
First-level color scheme
Second-level color scheme Concept design for the second level
Scroll showcase of all scenes:
Robot lineup
Front view
Back view
Side view
INFINITE
https://youtu.be/HTXf3ey7ERY Game type: Casual / Drama Game description: First-person perspective to experience the development of life from nothing to something and back again, exploring the instinctive selfinterest and altruism of life My role in the project: 3D modeller / texture mapping / world terrain modelling
01/Basic Introduction Level selection screen Level Selection Element: Mushroom/Water Bottle/Desert Crown corresponds to the plot core of each of the three levels.
First element: Mushroom, indicating the birth of life.
The Milkmaid
Ivory bottle
Moon Goddess Artemis
Element of the second level: The water bottle, indicating the flourishing of life
Sun God Apollo
The Sun God Sculpture
Sun God Helios
Element of the third level: The desert crown, indicating the exhaustion of life
02/Scene introduction Scene 1 screen
Scene 2 screen
Scene 3 screen
Meaning of Scene 1: Life begins with instinctive "egoism"
Meaning of Scene 2: Conflict in self-interest and altruism,confrontation,the old and the new win out.
Meaning of Scene 3: Re-birth,Re-destruction,Re-birth,Never Ending
Scene 2 describes the general content: lifeforms intersect with other lifeforms in the process of exploration, the survival of the fittest in the relationship between self-interest and altruism, the new species replaces the old species, the new civilisation develops the old civilisation, and the new era replaces the old era.
Scene 3 describes roughly what is going on: a journey towards extinction in altruism, and then the development of a new selfinterested relationship in that extinction, and in that new selfinterested relationship the birth of a new life that explores the next world and develops the next civilisation
Scene 1 describes the general content:Lifeforms from the dark space to the light place, because tend to light to avoid harm is life out of self-interested instinct, it is this self-interested instinct, can make lifeforms have the opportunity to explore new worlds, to discover the new unknown.
03/Manufacturing process
"In the future, we have plans to develop this project into a VR game."
Traveling Cat of the Forbidden City
This is a casual exploration interactive game where players accompany an adorable orange cat to roam around the Forbidden City. While enjoying the beautiful scenery, players also embark on a quest to find mischievous hidden palace cats. My roles in this project: Scene Creation, Prop Manufacturing, Shooting Assistance, Video Editing, Interaction Design.
https://youtu.be/90jTtC_LVaM
01/Inspiration and Background Forbidden City Exploration Route
Storyboard Drawing
We aim for more than just an interactive video;we aspire to create an entertaining promotion of the Forbidden City.Our goal is to provide a relaxed and enjoyable perspective for everyone to better understand the Forbidden City,bridging the gap between historical artifacts and the public,and promoting traditional Chinese culture.
Forbidden City Diagram
A. Meridian Gate B. Gate of Heavenly Purity C. West Flowery Gate D. East Flowery Gate E. Corner Tower F. Gate of Supreme Harmony G. Hall of Supreme Harmony H. Hall of Martial Valor J. Hall of Literary Glory K. South Three Palaces L. Rear Three Palaces (Qianqing Palace) M. Imperial Garden N. Hall of Mental Cultivation O. Hall of Imperial Supremacy
Act 1: Arrive at the palace gate and take a photo. Act 2: Adventure cat enters through the gate and begins the quest for the imperial cat. Act 3: Arrive at the imperial garden, speculating that the imperial cat might be in the trees, thus focusing on the plants. Act 4: Descend from the Manchun Pavilion in front of the ww. Act 5: Walk past the eaves, curiously examining the flowering catalpa tree. Act 6: As the sky darkens, exit through the palace gate, ultimately failing to find the imperial cat.
02/Scene Design Main Materials: Stone plastic clay, lightweight clay, wool felt, cardboard, origami.
For scene construction, we have chosen the Imperial Garden as the primary setting with three key points: Shunzhen Gate, Manchun Pavilion, and Qianqiu Pavilion.
Shunzhen Gate
palace gate
Wanchun Pavilion
cypress tree
Qianqiu Pavilion
flowering catalpa tree
03/Character and Interaction Design
First Interaction Method: Mouse Click Players are required to make a choice before the time bar at the bottom reaches zero. Plot: Little Orange arrives at the palace gate, taking the first photo of her journey to the Forbidden City.
Character: Little Orange Cat Little Orange is a curious cat,venturing into the Forbidden City in search of the imperial cats. Felt wool texture
Important Prop 1: Polaroid Camera
Final Colored Illustration
Important Prop 2: Two Photos of Imperial Cats
Plot: Little Orange climbs the cypress tree in the Imperial Garden, hoping to find the Imperial Cats.
Second Interaction Method: Keyboard Operation, Long Press [Up/Down/Left/Right] Keys. Plot: Little Orange leaves the Imperial Garden for the eaves, searching for the Imperial Cats.
Ending: Little Orange doesn't find the Imperial Cats, but she has had a wonderful day at the Forbidden City.
Character Sketch
Other Works 1/Sketch Drawing
2/Character Design
Theme: 'The Significance of MiddleAged Perseverance' Featuring a weathered middle-aged man, I chose to depict the profound gaze in his eyes.
'Adventure Bunny Jenny' This clay model depicts a courageous and adventurous bunny, symbolizing bravery and a spirit of exploration.
Clay Sculpting
Oven Baking for Setting
Coloring with Pigments
Attaching to Base
Affixing Soil and Tiny Grass
3/Mid-Autumn Festival-themed Keycap Gift Box Inspired by the traditional Chinese festival "Mid-Autumn," this project involves creating specific keycaps with five unique festival symbols: a frog, moon rabbit, mooncake, laughter, and a moonlit wine glass.
5/"Classic of Mountains and Seas"IP 4/History of Picture Book Development
From Leo Lionni to Yoshiji Arakawa, illustrating the century-long development history of picture books.
6/Blender Modeling