I’ve been working on a game. It’s a tactical arena game built in Godot, and while there’s a lot I want to share about it eventually, this post is just a first look at one of the characters I’ve designed: the Parasite.

Who is the Parasite?

Parasites are emaciated people who live in the slums of the city. Malnutrition and addiction have left them frail and weak. They don’t choose to fight. They’re thrown into the arenas against their will, fodder for the crowds.

The arenas are entertainment for the city’s people. As a player, you’re a prisoner fighting to survive. Win enough and you get moved to better arenas. That’s the deal.

The sprites

I’ve designed sprites and animations for about ten characters so far. For most of them, getting what’s in my head onto the canvas has been a struggle. The Parasite was different. This one came together intuitively, almost effortlessly compared to the rest. That doesn’t happen often, so it was a nice experience.

And the death animation, which is probably my favourite of the three:

What’s next

The game is currently in alpha and I’m planning to release it on Android soon. There’s a lot more I want to write about: the pixel art learning curve, what Godot feels like coming from a backend engineering background, and the game itself in more detail. But for now, this felt like a good place to start.