Overview
Devil's Gambit is a 2D dark-fantasy Metroidvania that casts players as the Charlatan, a doomed gambler bound to a devilish patron. Players wield cursed playing cards and hellish magic to cheat fate, challenge Hell's hierarchy, and fight their way out of its decaying, layered depths.
This project was developed as a vertical slice in Unity by a small team at Studio 300 and submitted to the Academy of Art University 2024 Spring Show, where it was selected as a finalist.
My Design Role
As lead game designer, I defined the game's core identity — worldbuilding, player abilities, combat systems, and overall level flow. I programmed the player character controller and boss encounter in C#, wrote dialogue and narrative cutscenes, and created promotional assets including logos, character art direction, and marketing materials.
The entire demo was concepted, designed, built, and polished in a 59-day production window.
Development
Development moved fast with a tight scope. Early production focused on locking the core combat loop and movement feel, while the art team established the hand-drawn visual style in parallel. Level design went through rapid iteration — from paper sketches to blockouts to final tilesets — with the boss encounter serving as the centerpiece of the vertical slice.
Results & Takeaways
Devil's Gambit was selected as a finalist at the 2024 Spring Show. The tight production timeline taught the team how to scope aggressively and prioritize the features that would make the strongest impression in a vertical slice format.
Team
- Dominik Rangel — Art Director, Founder
- Dominic Sanchez — Programmer, Tech Artist, Founder
- Areej Haq — 2D Prop & Environment Artist
- Manel Boubeker — Player Sprite & UI Artist
- Hugh Gower — Player Animator