XOOXXOXOO

ZANOKU

Zanoku is a dark fantasy 2D action-adventure game concept set in a corrupted forest infected by a mysterious virus. The project focused on pre-production, visual development, and gameplay foundation, establishing the art direction, environmental

design, and mechanics before full coding. Merging AI-assisted workflows with traditional digital art, Zanoku builds a haunting yet immersive world where nature turns against itself and survival becomes a test of courage.

MY ROLE

Designer, Researcher, and Developer

SKILLS

Problem solving, Animating, Designing, Developing, Coding

DURATION

8 weeks

THE PROBLEM

Scroll on section

Many 2D platformers lack strong conceptual cohesion between visuals, story, and gameplay. This project aimed to address that by developing a game world that balances technical functionality with storytelling and visual depth.

THE BRIEF

Scroll on section

Design and develop the full visual and conceptual foundation for a 2D action-adventure platformer. Create all game assets including environments, characters, UI, and interactive elements to prepare for full development in Unity after the pre-production stage.

THE SOLUTION

Scroll on section

Zanoku presents a cohesive visual and interactive world built through a hybrid AI-Photoshop workflow. Using layered forest environments, stylised textures, and hand-edited assets, the game establishes its unique tone of corruption and decay. A Unity prototype demonstrates functioning physics, health systems, animated attacks, and environmental interactions showcasing both creative art direction and technical problem-solving.

INTENDED AUDIENCE

Scroll on section

Players drawn to narrative-driven, atmospheric action games especially fans of dark fantasy, adventure, and indie titles with a strong visual identity.

AIMS

To build a visually and conceptually unified pre-production prototype for a dark fantasy platformer that merges storytelling, world-building, and interactive mechanics.

OBJECTIVES

The project aims to develop a full visual asset kit using both AI and manual design techniques, design and animate a main character and enemy set consistent with the art direction, implement physics-based interactions and movement within Unity, create UI systems including health bars, menus, and visual feedback elements, and optimize game performance through debugging and efficient scripting.

CONCEPT

Title: Zanoku
Genre: 2D Action Adventure
Style: Dark fantasy / nature corruption

Storyline
Deep within a once–peaceful, mystical forest, a strange virus has spread, transforming the lush plant life into violent, hostile creatures. The corruption is spreading fast, threatening to consume everything it touches. To save the forest and protect the villagers, the strongest warrior sets out on a dangerous journey to find and destroy the source of the infection. Zanoku explores themes of decay, survival, and sacrifice a fight to restore balance to a world that’s turning against itself.

Main Character
Forest villager, strong, warrior

Enemy
The plants of the forest affected by the virus

Environment
The game takes place in an enchanted, overgrown forest filled with supernatural energy. The world feels both alive and haunted. The environment was created using collaged imagery that was reimagined through AI, blending natural textures with an eerie, painterly style to create a dark fantasy atmosphere that feels mysterious and immersive.

Game Objective
The main objective is to destroy the virus at its source and save both the forest and its villagers. Players must navigate through dangerous terrain, battle infected plants, and uncover hidden clues about the origins of the outbreak. The ultimate goal is to stop the spread of the infection before it engulfs the entire region.

TREATMENT

Style

Zanoku's style blends dark fantasy and nature, combining organic textures with eerie, AI-enhanced visuals to create a haunting yet beautiful game world.

Tone

The tone is tense and mysterious, capturing the feeling of danger, decay, and determination as the hero journeys through a corrupted forest to restore balance.

Environment Colour Palette

#505e26

#645537

#3b4824

#6f7a2c

Character Colour Palette

#363415

#64552a

#657531

#423423

COLLAGE

DRAWING

HERO

KAEL

Kael is a forest warrior who grew up surrounded by nature and family. From a young age, he was determined to protect the people he cared about and trained hard to become the best. By eighteen, he was known as the strongest warrior in the village. He carries the wisdom of his ancestors and uses tools passed down through generations. Kael wears a wooden mask, a cloak made of leaves, and natural armor that connects him to the forest he's fighting to save.