OveRRoot is a 2,5d sci-fi Action game, focused on challenging and fast paced combat.

Genre: Action Platformer
Platforms: Windows PC, Steam
Gamemodes: Singleplayer, linear levels structure
Game Engine: Unreal Engine 5
Development time: 3 years (started in August 2021)
Release date: 31 July 2024
Achievements: Finalist for “Best Italian Debut Game”, at Italian Video Game Awards (IVGA) 2025

Italian Video Game Awards 2025 — Best Italian Debut Game finalist

The player dodging an orange projectile between blue platforms

A fiery dash attack crossing a red digital arena

The player attacking an enemy in the I/O Board level

The player in a red wireframe environment beneath the message Erase everything

A spinning attack surrounded by orange fragments in a blue arena

The player attacking on a ramp beneath glowing digital structures

Combat among enemies on stacked neon-blue platforms

A digital chamber offering True and False paths for the question Do you believe you are immortal

The failure screen prompting the player to press X to reboot

The player fighting beneath floating platforms and a glowing circular structure

The Root Code menu displaying a character model and system memory information

The Code Evolution results screen showing score breakdowns and a B rank

Responsibilities

Role: Game Designer, PR & Marketing
Worked on Combat System and 3C Design, as well as the Progression Systems (Score and Codex)
Analyzed Competitors, to understand the market niche and contribute to Steam release
Created and updated Game Design Documentation
Designed ways to implement Juiciness and improve Game Feel
Coordinated playtest sessions and interviews, to obtain valuable feedback
Attended conventions (Gamesweek, Comicon, Svilupparty) and talked with videogame journalist and influencers

Contributions

Trial and Error feeling

Goal: create a feeling similar to games like Hotline Miami and Katana Zero: high challenging games but also extremely satisfying and rewarding to play.

Process: finding the right game balance was key for creating a fair challenge for the player to accomplish. This was achieved in various ways:

1. Forgiveness

Tuning ability cooldowns, attack’s range, recovery frames, hitboxes (both of the MC and Enemies), in a way that doesn’t make the player feel punished for not being 100% precise in its positioning.

Attack montage and damage timing notifies in Unreal Engine — An example of an Attack's Montage of a melee enemy, where I've tuned aspects like the damage and parry window

2. Score & Ranks System

These systems have been balanced in a way that pushes players to improve themselves, by having, on average, them get a B rank (from D to S), allowing to not feel too punished for their first try of a level, but also encourage replayability to get a better Rank.

OveRRoot score screen breaking the final rank into kills, time, deaths, and variety — Score screen shown at the end of each level

Level scoring and rank balancing spreadsheet — A spreadsheet used to calculate min and max score obtainable in a level, based on factors like total enemies and Special Kills performed

3. Fast respawn

The player immediately respawn with a press of a button, without having to sit in a loading screen, immediately returning back to action. Also, music doesn’t restart after a death, increasing the feeling that each try is still a part of the loop.

OveRRoot failure screen prompting the player to press X to reboot — A single button press returns the player immediately into the game

Deep Combat

Goal: Create a combat that should be mastered by players, that the player master through the course of the game, without having any kind of Character upgrades, but only by improving its skills.

Process: identified how to differentiate each ability and the possible combinations between them, by acting on various elements.

1. Inputs limitations

Thinking about how a single action may block another one, allow for an animation canceling, being subject to a Window of Opportunity (WOO) or waiting for a cooldown, to properly balance the combat and encourage players to use each available ability, also increasing mastery feeling.

Matrix showing which player actions can interrupt or combine with each other — Input Matrix that shows what happens when pressing an input while another action is being performed

2.Action Depth

Think about how each Action positively or negatively influences the Character (Strategic Value), what are the reasons that pushes a player to use those (User Case) and how a combination of simpler Actions (Operative) can create more complex ones (Resultant). An example is the Dash Slash ability, which is being used both as an offensive tool and as a movement skill, but it require players to spend time charging it before unleashing it, leaving them vulnerable to incoming attacks.

Combat system design sheet mapping actions, inputs, skills, and strategic value — A list of combat related Actions and what game aspects are influenced

User case flows for the Dash Slash attack — User Cases for a specific ability

Game Feel / Juiciness

Goal: create a satisfying moment-to-moment gameplay, where every attack and interaction feels good and gives a clear feedback to the player.

Process: proposed various Juiciness elements and how to showcase those to the player, by also aiming to keep action clear and understandable, without overloading the screen with effects (particles, animations etc.)

Visual feedback references for quick and charged attacks — References from other games for the Juiciness effects to implement

Prototype vs Final Release