Another Crab's Treasure: a submarine soulslike with cartoon style in Unity
This soulslike genre title stands out for its visual aesthetic inspired by traditional animation. To build its aquatic universe, the creators choose the Unity engine, with which they achieve environments full of color and life. 🦀
A defined and readable artistic approach
The art team rejects photorealism to adopt a cartoon look. They achieve this appearance through custom-made shaders within Unity, which produce intense colors and sharp outlines. Lighting is crucial to differentiate areas, from bright surface waters to dark depths, always maintaining visual clarity during action.
Key features of the graphic style:- 3D models with a toon or caricatured treatment.
- Custom shaders that generate a unique and recognizable appearance.
- Aquatic visual effects, such as refraction and reflections, optimized not to hinder combat.
The friendly appearance contrasts with the challenging gameplay typical of the genre, creating its own identity.
The core mechanic: a physics system for shells
A fundamental part of playing revolves around the shells that the crab can use as armor. An interactive physics system is programmed that governs how these shells collide with the environment and opponents. Each shell grants different benefits, modifying defense, attack, and the character's movement.
Advantages of the interchangeable shell system:- Adds a layer of strategy, as the player must select the right shell for each encounter.
- Changing the shell directly affects parameters like blocking, hitting, and moving.
- Turns the simple act of equipping an item into a tactical decision with real weight in the adventure.
A cohesive and vibrant world
In the end, the project combines its distinctive graphic style with solid gameplay mechanics. The use of Unity allows developers to implement custom shaders and atmospheric lighting that defines each scenario. The physics applied to the shells is not only a visual element, but the core of deep gameplay. Thus, it demonstrates that a seemingly light aesthetic can house a substantial and challenging gaming experience. 🐚