Gothica: The Devil’s Shadow stands as a singular experience—a steampunk-inspired, single-player adventure puzzle game meticulously designed for Virtual Reality (VR). In this immersive journey, players must employ ingenuity to navigate physical puzzles, maintain a vigilant watch for lurking dangers, and exhibit lightning-fast reflexes to fend off the Dark Lord's minions.
Gothica holds a special place among my favorite projects. Serving as my inaugural large-scale endeavor, I found myself tasked with a significant undertaking: the complete reconstruction of the project's core using the UE4VRE (Unreal Engine 4 Virtual Reality Extension) plugin. This transformative plugin not only revamped VR interactives but also facilitated the development of interactables on a scale akin to titles like Half-Life: Alyx. While my suggestions for enhancing the combat area faced limitations due to the pre-established game design, I embraced the challenge with enthusiasm.
In addition to rebuilding the core, my responsibilities extended to crafting AI behavior and implementing a spawning system that reset upon player death. This dynamic system increased the challenge over time by introducing more werewolves, offering players extended opportunities to solve puzzles.
Gothica marked my introduction to audio design. I created immersive 3D audio experiences for players, incorporating sounds that responded to their actions or inaction, thus enhancing the overall atmospheric engagement.
The utilization of Level Sequences and Actor Sequences served as the foundation for interactive elements. For instance, the illumination of each light on a lever hinged on reaching defined rotations, triggering corresponding actor sequences.
The development of Gothica necessitated proficiency in Unreal Engine 4, version control through GitLab/GitHub and Perforce, PC-based Virtual Reality, Blueprint scripting, interface design, inheritance implementation, and the seamless integration of UE4VRE. Teleportation mechanics and interactive elements such as levers, buttons, and valves were also pivotal components in shaping the gameplay experience.