Trial By Fire is a first person puzzle game where the player goes through a series of three puzzles to prove their skills as a pyromancer.

My team and I were required to pitch our game idea to school faculty members before it was greenlit for production. Initially we had pitched two very different games that were both high and scope and did not play well into the strengths of all members of team (such as not having a dedicated character artists). After some time, we decided that a first person puzzle game would be the best type of game for the team we had. It would allow us to have interesting levels and encounters without needing any characters so that artists could focus on their specialties(tech and environment art).

This new pitch was immediately approved and I began work on constructing a variety of puzzles for our game. The team and myself immediately went to the whiteboard and began concepting puzzles that utilized fire based physics including: floating lanterns, gunpowder, darkness and light, and fuses.

It was easy and healthy for the team to just get ideas out there so we could quickly nail down what was in scope for the eight week production process and what we would like to have if we had extra time. With the nature of the games level transitions, it would be easy for us to cut puzzles or mechanics that we couldn't implement.

After we nailed down the mechanics we knew the game needed, I began drawing top-down's and planning out the different levels, all while consulting with the rest of team to make sure I didn't stretch the scope.

Ultimately, this game was wildly liked by the student body and faculty of AIE, and was voted the second best game for this production process of seven different teams.

NOTE: All screenshots and video reflect the work of the entire team (art, engineering, and design)