Mechanic & System, Combat Designer capable of prototyping features.
Hi, I'm Brandon Liew. I have a deep passion for games.
I enjoy playing and analysing them, and I love designing and developing them.
A few of my current favourite games include
Core Keeper, Slay the Spire 2, Clair Obscur, DOOM: Dark Ages, RE4 Remake and Deadlock.
One of my greatest joys comes from actualising systems I design on paper and seeing their true value in real time.
My Game Development Goal is for people to experience something new & genuinely enjoy it, to know that what they had experienced was worth their time & money. The master goal is to create a masterpiece, a complete experience, a game with amazing core game loop and a captivating narrative.
However, the more I learn about game development, the more I realise how truly complex it is and how a masterpiece is almost impossible to be created alone. This is why I want to collaborate with others, to keep learning, to exchange ideas with people from different backgrounds and to be part of a journey in creating something meaningful.
My Skill Set blends Designer and Developer
I don’t just design systems on paper, I prototype and solidify ideas by bringing them to life in-game.
I fine-tune mechanics directly in-engine to deliver the best possible player experience early on, without requiring others to re-evaluate the design intent later.
At the same time, I can communicate these concepts through clear verbal explanations and concise documentation.
Primarily an Unreal Blueprint programmer, but willing to learn and work with other tools.
Case A - SEIZE
SEIZE is a Fast-Paced Melee Action Game where you play as an elite cybernetic feline, infiltrating deep into enemy territory to reclaim what's yours. It is a 8-month project built by a small team of 4 (2 Designers & 2 Artists) in Unreal Engine entirely using blueprints.
I am responsible for
Mechanic & System Design
Movement & Combat Design
Enemy Design
Level Design
Programming
I guided the vision of the game, modified it when it wasn’t working and made final, concrete directional decisions for the team.
Case B - BOOP
BOOP is an action arcade game where you step into the shoes (or fins) of a Reverse Mermaid that happens to be a boxer that fights Boxing Bears. It is a 3-month solo project. The goal is to practice moment-to-moment combat design & build a minigame in an engine I have not worked with before - Unity
In this project, I focused on
Mechanic & System Design
Movement & Combat Design
Enemy Design
Programming
Case C - Game Jam Projects
Game jams are all about rapid prototyping. Here are some jams I participated in, where I contributed to both design and programming, the core of Technical Design.
CARBON BUSTER
Play as an eco-punk batting through carbon-emitting robots in a endless third-person beat em up made in 48 hours by a team of 4 (1 Designer & 4 Artists)
In this project, I am the Design Lead and focus on
Gameplay Design
Game flow Structure, Character Systems, UI
Programming (UE5 Blueprint Visual Scripting)
Programmed the Health system, a three-hit Melee combo, Dashing, Slam Ability, Enemy Behaviour, Wave System, and the game’s UI.
Masking Hell
Play as a sentient piece of art fighting to avoid deletion within a editing software interface. Made in 48 hours by a team of 4 (1 Designer, 1 Artists, 2 Techs)
In this project, I am the Design Lead and focus on
Gameplay Design
Game flow Structure, Character Systems, UI
Programming (UE5 Blueprint Visual Scripting)
Programmed the Game Flow System (Main Menu, Gameplay Level, Game Over), and the game's UI systems (Health, Volume, Scoreboard, etc)
Case D - Documentations
Designing is about fleshing out ideas into written documentations, enabling meticulous planning and consistent communication across the team. Below are design documents mainly written by me.
SEIZE
STEELWORKS
Some teams prefer viewing documents in an infinite canvas, as it allows for more intuitive navigation and a clearer overview of interconnected ideas. Below are design documents mainly written by me using infinite canvases.
View the entire canvas here - GIGANTECH Design Canvas
View the entire canvas here - Masking Hell Design Canvas
For some projects, documents are done in an infinite canvas first before transfering into a PDF later in development for easier reading access by the team.
View the entire canvas here - STEELWORKS Design Canvas