Slugterra: Gatecrash

Gatecrash was a game I pitched at Epic Story Interactive, where we successfully secured funding to conceptualize and prototype the project, bringing the initial idea to life. The game, set in the Slugterra universe, initially started as a reverse tower defense concept but eventually evolved into an RTS-lite experience. Our aim was to capture the strategic depth of real-time strategy games while making the mechanics approachable and intuitive for mobile platforms. As passionate fans of the genre, we avoided oversimplifying core mechanics, instead focusing on streamlining player interaction, knowing the precision of a mouse and keyboard would be absent. We leaned into macro-level strategies and pre-combat planning, while simplifying micro-management to player-activated abilities, creating a fluid and engaging experience.

To add complexity without overwhelming the player, we introduced a progression system where players collected army units akin to collecting and equipping loot in an ARPG. This made the game's pre-combat setup resemble a deck builder, with subtle differences between unit types allowing for deep strategic expression. Gatecrash ultimately became a blend of our favorite elements from Starcraft and Diablo II, drawing heavy inspiration from both games as we experimented with and refined its features.