Summary

A side-scrolling beat ’em up and prequel to the 1999 action shooter Slave Zero. I was on a level design team of four, responsible for constructing the 3D environments, set-dressing, and applying textures. Visually, the game is intended as homage to the Dreamcast era, and we used 2D sprites navigating a 3D world to achieve that effect.

A lot of my work involved using Trenchbroom, a robust level editor usually used to create old-school levels for Quake (it was my knowledge of Quake mapping that got me hired). Technically speaking, the game was made in a pretty unique way – a mix of Gamemaker, Quake mapping tools, and mind-melting homebrew coding from the programming team. I never could have believed a game could be built this way, but the team pulled it off, and the result is a gloriously authentic retro feel.

Praise for Slave Zero X

“The presentation is wonderful, with huge sprites populating a lo-fi, 3D-modelled world that looks straight out of the late 90s.” – Push Square

“The atmosphere in Slave Zero X is incredibly cool. The 90s-style sprites and visuals, coupled with an advanced lighting system and stylized 3D environments, opens up the abandoned city streets as you watch the world shift on its axis when you turn corners.” – Tech Radar

“Specifically, it resembles a biopunk Strider 2 with pixelated 2D sprites over lo-fi backdrops. On top of that is a terrific art style and an aesthetic that seems like something Suda51 would put together. If nothing else, Slave Zero X is candy to the eyes.” – Destructoid