Zeff Bao
Game Designer | Technical Designer
Manga Hero
CREATIVE LEADER / COMBAT DESIGNER
CREATIVE LEADER / COMBAT DESIGNER
Manga Hero is a Manga Style ARPG
Ten by Ten Studio - Duke GDDI
Team Size : 7
Ten by Ten Studio - Duke GDDI
Team Size : 7
When Action Game Meets Manga
This is a game for people who love anime and action games, like me.
Let me start by explaining the inspiration behind the concept: What if action games felt like a manga?
I’ve always been interested in how movies and manga use visual techniques, like storyboards and montages, to tell stories and highlight important moments. In games, we’ve seen a lot of “cinematic” styles, so I thought, why not try a “manga-style” game?
That’s the core idea of my game: bringing manga’s visual storytelling into the gameplay. Whenever a player does something exciting or important, the game captures it in the form of manga panels, creating a unique visual experience.
That’s the core idea of my game: bringing manga’s visual storytelling into the gameplay. Whenever a player does something exciting or important, the game captures it in the form of manga panels, creating a unique visual experience.
In this game, players explore a manga world. As they move, talk to NPCs, or pull off cool moves in battle—like dodging, charging up an attack, or pulling off a special move—the game will capture those moments and turn them into manga-style panels automatically.
Different panels and montages will have different effects. For example, during conversations with NPCs, using a Shot-Reverse Shot might improve or damage your relationship with the character. In battles, pulling off techniques like Out of the Frame or Double Spread can boost your damage or add other effects.
The best part is that after finishing a battle or completing a story section, all these panels will come together to form a full manga chapter. Players can look back at their journey and see how they became their own “Manga Hero.”
Different panels and montages will have different effects. For example, during conversations with NPCs, using a Shot-Reverse Shot might improve or damage your relationship with the character. In battles, pulling off techniques like Out of the Frame or Double Spread can boost your damage or add other effects.
The best part is that after finishing a battle or completing a story section, all these panels will come together to form a full manga chapter. Players can look back at their journey and see how they became their own “Manga Hero.”
WHAT I DID SO FAR:
- Responsible for designing the core combat system in the game, developing the game prototype, testing combos and weapon systems
- Responsible for the design and development of the "Real-time Manga Generation System", which allows players to generate exciting manga storyboards every time they perform an exciting operation in the game
- Responsible for designing and producing the game's monsters, boss fight-related gameplay skill mechanisms, behavior trees, and deeply integrating combat with the theme of "manga"
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Responsible for designing and developing the game's "Manga QTE" battle system, enabling designers to quickly configure QTE insertions during combat within the engine.
- Responsible for the stylized visual design of the game, and development of related manga-like rendering
Takeaway:
1. Monster AI Design
The first takeaway centers on designing the monster AI to provide varied difficulty levels and engaging gameplay. Key aspects include:
- Attack Frequency: For simpler monsters, we intentionally kept their attack frequency as low as possible. In multi-monster scenarios, we ensured that only one monster can attack at any given moment, preventing the player from being overwhelmed.
- Attack Recognition: Each monster’s attack needs to be immediately identifiable. We achieved this by incorporating distinct wind-up animations, clearly signaling to the player when an attack is imminent.
- Group Behavior: We introduced dynamic group behaviors to make encounters more interesting. For instance, when one “bobbin” (our minor enemy) detects another bobbin that has been stunned, it will consume it and transform into a larger, more dangerous version. This mechanic not only adds an element of surprise but also requires players to quickly eliminate stunned enemies before they escalate the threat.
2. Manga-Style Panel Generation System
The second takeaway focuses on the design and application of our comic panel generation system. I compiled and refined various comic panel styles and experimented with integrating them into the dynamic flow of an action game. Ultimately, we decided to trigger these panels during key moments—such as the initiation or conclusion of battles—to enhance the storytelling. To make this process accessible for designers, I developed a blueprint function that can be easily invoked at any point in a level or during combat, greatly simplifying the creation of comic-style visuals.
3. Dynamic Manga-QTE Sys
（In progress）
These insights not only contributed to a more engaging player experience but also streamlined the design process for our team.