Welkin Road is a first person platformer where you use two grappling hooks to overcome movement-based puzzles and perform thrilling stunts. You explore a world in the sky with a minimalist look. Levels provide new challenges in the form of different grappling mechanics and new ways of using what you've already learned.
I started working on Welkin Road while studying at university. I kept iterating and improving on the concept until I had something that was fun to play and showed promise. After graduating, I decided to start working on it full-time. Nine months later, I was able to release the game on Steam Early Access, where it got a pretty positive reception. With the help of my awesome community, I was able to identify many issues and opportunities for improvement. This helped me greatly to move the game in the right direction. I continue to work on this project to this day and I still have a couple of big features in the works that will see the light of day in the coming months.
Working on Welkin Road has been really fun and extremely rewarding. Since it was a solo project, it forced me to improve skills that were until then completely out of my comfort zone. I also gained a much greater understanding of what it takes to build and ship a game. Apart from programming the gameplay I suddenly had to learn how to model, animate, texture, design levels, mix and edit sound effects, write shaders, create particle effects, set up lighting, and much more. The biggest reward, however, has been seeing people play the game and actually have a good time with it.
Highlighted features I implemented:- Two grappling hooks that react differently to various grapple targets
- Parkour-inspired movement mechanics including sliding, wall running and wall jumping
- Game menu and UI
- Extensive options menu so players can customize their experience
- Aim assist and camera assist systems to help with gamepad controls
- Statistics and scoring system
- Dynamic camera system that complements the movement