Luka's Barkventures

A 2D side-scrolling Unity game starring Luka the German Shepherd, developed from concept to gameplay with custom animation, camera, and UI systems.

Role: Technical Artist / Concept Artist / Game Developer

Engine: Unity 6 (2D)

Tools: Unity, C#, Photoshop, AI-assisted design tools

Overview

A 2D side-scrolling adventure featuring Luka, a German Shepherd inspired by my dog, exploring stylized environments and collecting treats. The project integrates concept art, 2D animation, and gameplay scripting to craft a playful, interactive world.

Responsibilities & Technical Focus

Gameplay Video

Luka's Barkventures Gameplay Video

concept Art & Visual Design

Designed characters, environment assets and props, combining sketches and AI Tools (ChatGPT).
Developed initial sketches and mood concepts using manual drawing and AI tools.
Converted visual concepts into production-ready 2D assets for Unity, ensuring consistent proportions, palettes, and readability.

Gameplay Logic

Developed C# scripts for player actions and interactions, including movement, jumping, barking, and collectibles.
Implemented scoring, pickup, and combat systems with real-time updates.
Created a camera follow script for smooth player tracking.
Utilized serialized fields for adjustable parameters in the Inspector.

C# script code snippet for camera position update in Unity. Includes vector adjustments and conditional logic in a plain white background. — Code snippet showcasing a camera follow logic in Unity, implementing position clamping and smooth transitions based on target's position and predefined thresholds.

Asset Integration & Scene Setup

Imported and configured 2D assets (characters, props, backgrounds) for in-engine use.
Ensured accurate pivot points, scaling, and alignment for smooth animation.
Built reusable prefabs for props, collectibles, and triggers to streamline level assembly.

File explorer showing assets list under "Props/Prefabs" category, including items like Acron, Bench_interact, and various trash-related objects. — List of prop prefab assets in the project.

File directory tree showing "Collectibles" with subfolders "Bones" and "WaterHealth". "Bones" contains items labeled "bone_0" to "bone_0 (5)". — Hierarchy view displaying the use of prefabs.

Environment & Parallax Design

Created multi-layered parallax backgrounds for depth and motion in gameplay.
Used varying scroll speeds on 2D components for dynamic visuals.
Balanced color and motion to highlight the main character.

3D visualization of parallax layers from "Luka's Barkventures," showcasing detailed background elements in a dynamic side view.

Animated black dog walks in a bright park with trees, a trash can, and a lamp post. Life hearts and score are shown in the top left corner. — Visualization of the parallax scrolling in-game.

Character Animation

Developed frame-by-frame animations from sprite sheets and organized them into Animator Controllers.
Defined animation transitions (Idle, Walk, Jump, Bark) using input variables from C# scripts.
Adjusted frame timing and playback speed for natural movement and responsiveness.
Ensured accurate animation alignment with correct pivot placement.
Created visual effects and transitions using C# scripts to enhance character feedback and gameplay.

A game screen shows a black dog walking by a lamppost in a park setting. Icons with hearts and a paw print are at the top. A flowchart is on the left. — Animation controller interface demonstrating dynamic animation node switching on the left, with the character executing the animations on the right.

Grid of 52 black dog silhouettes in jump poses, each labeled "Luka_Jump_animation" with sequence numbers on a white background. — A frame-by-frame series illustrating the character's jump animation.

Code snippet in C# defines methods for hit feedback and movement in a game. Methods include `TriggerHit`, `GetHitFeedback`, and `DisableMovement`. — C# script snippet showcasing visual effects for the game character's hit reaction, including disabling movement, playing audio feedback, and triggering camera shake and screen flash.

Code snippet showing C# functions Shake and ShakeRoutine for simulating screen shake in Unity. Text colors indicate syntax highlighting. — Script snippet for implementing a camera shake effect in Unity, showcasing the use of coroutines to create dynamic shaking based on specified duration and magnitude parameters.

UI & Event Handling

Created a minimal UI for score tracking and scene transitions, linking buttons to functions for restarting, quitting, and scene changes, while maintaining visual consistency with the game world.

Game interface with instructions for "Luka's Barkventures." Brown buttons say "Jump Here," "How to Play," "Start," and more. Blue background. — User interface elements for "Luka's Barkventures" game, featuring controls, buttons, HUDs and more.

A video showcasing the use of the game's user interface.

Code snippet displaying a C# function updating a score with `Mathf.CeilToInt` and `MoveTowards`. Text in black and some colored keywords. — Script snippet showing a Unity function to update the display score.

Audio System

Created a Sound Manager singleton to manage multiple Audio Sources.
Scripted contextual SFX for various actions and ambient loops.
Implemented playback controls to avoid sound overlap and clipping.

Audio source interface showing the played sound clip on the left, with the character executing the barking animations on the right triggering the sound cue.

Organization & Pipeline

Created a clear structure for exporting sprites, scripts, audio, and prefabs.
Used consistent naming conventions for quick iteration and asset tracking.
Checked each imported asset in-engine for visual and technical accuracy.

Two panels displaying a file hierarchy in a software interface. Left panel lists game objects; right panel lists assets and scripts. Gray background. — Unity Hierarchy and Project Assets