ArenaGauntlet.mp4
Survive the onslaught! Arena Gauntlet is a fast-paced, top-down 2D wave-based arena fighter built entirely with Unreal Engine 5.3.1 using Blueprints and the PaperZD plugin. Battle waves of increasingly difficult enemies 👾, find power-ups, master sword and bow combat, and push your survival skills to the limit in a mysterious, monster-infested cave!
This project serves as both a playable game prototype and a demonstration of skills acquired in Unreal Engine 2D development, Blueprint scripting, and core game systems implementation.
Ever eager for discovery, a young adventurer strayed from the familiar paths of the village woods, drawn towards a hidden cave entrance veiled by ancient roots. Curiosity overcoming caution, they ventured inside. Deeper they went, until a sudden tremor shook the earth, sealing the entrance behind them in a cascade of rock and soil.
Trapped within the echoing darkness, the adventurer soon realized they were not alone. The depths stirred, and from the shadows emerged waves of strange, hostile creatures – guardians of this hidden place, awakened by the intrusion. With sword and bow readied, the only path to survival – and perhaps, another way out – lies directly through the relentless onslaught.
- 🌟 Top-Down 2D Arena Combat: Intense, reactive combat in a confined arena.
- 🌊 Wave-Based Survival: Face progressively harder waves of enemies with dynamic spawning.
- 🕹️ Responsive 8-Directional Movement: Smooth character control powered by PaperZD.
- ⚔️ Melee & Ranged Combat: Master the Sword (2 Damage, requires proximity) and unlock the Bow (1 Damage, fires in facing direction).
- 👾 Varied Enemies: Battle distinct foes like the durable Skeleton (3 HP) and the charging Boar (2 HP).
- ❤️ Health System with Pickups: Manage your 3 starting health points and find Health Pickups to restore 1 HP.
- 🏹 Unlockable Ability: Find the Bow Pickup to enable ranged attacks permanently.
- 🛡️ Combat Feedback: Experience knockback (player & enemies), damage flashes (red tint), temporary invincibility frames (player, 2 secs with flickering), and satisfying enemy death VFX (skull explosion).
- 🔊 Immersive Audio: Features background music, player footsteps, distinct sounds for sword/bow attacks, enemy attacks, hits (player/enemy), pickups (unique for health/bow), and enemy deaths.
- 🖥️ Essential UI: Includes a Main Menu (Play/Quit), dynamic Health Bar (heart icons), and a clear Game Over/Win Screen.
- 🧱 Contained Arena: A well-defined level with wall boundaries for focused gameplay.
- 💡 Data-Driven Design: Wave compositions are managed via a Data Structure, read by a central Spawning Manager.
- 📘 100% Blueprint Project: Developed entirely using Unreal Engine's powerful Blueprint visual scripting system – no C++ required.
- Engine: Unreal Engine 5.3.1
- Core Logic: Blueprints
- 2D Animation/Character Logic: PaperZD Plugin 📜
- Assets: Freely available public resources & custom logic 🖼️
- ✅ Complete Core Loop: Playable from Main Menu to Game Over/Win condition.
- ✅ Feature Complete (v1.0 Scope): All planned core mechanics for this initial version are implemented.
- ✅ Stable Build Available: See the Releases section!
- Movement: WASD / Arrow Keys (8 Directions)
- Sword Attack: [Button - e.g., Left Mouse Button] - Melee attack in facing direction (requires proximity).
- Bow Attack: [Button - e.g., Right Mouse Button] - Fires an arrow in facing direction (Requires Bow Pickup).
- Menu Interaction: Mouse Click
Option 1: Play Packaged Build (Recommended for Players) 🎮
- Go to the Releases section of this repository.
- Download the latest
ArenaGauntlet_vX.X.zipfile. - Extract the contents of the ZIP file.
- Run the game executable (e.g.,
ArenaGauntlet.exe). No Unreal Engine installation needed!
Option 2: From Source (For Developers - Requires Unreal Engine 5.3.1) 🔧
- Clone the repository:
git clone https://github.com/FahimKamal/UE5_DungeonAdvanture.git
- Navigate to the cloned project directory (
UE5_DungeonAdvanture). - Ensure Unreal Engine 5.3.1 is installed via the Epic Games Launcher.
- Right-click the
.uprojectfile (UE5_DungeonAdvanture.uproject) and select "Generate Visual Studio project files". - Open the
.uprojectfile by double-clicking it. - Press Play in the editor toolbar to run the game.
This project was a valuable deep dive into creating a 2D game within Unreal Engine, focusing entirely on Blueprints. Key learning areas included:
- 2D Workflow: Utilizing PaperZD for efficient sprite animation and state management.
- Combat Systems: Implementing melee/ranged attacks, damage models, health, knockback, and invincibility frames.
- AI Basics: Creating simple enemy detection, pathfinding (move-to), and attack triggers.
- Game Loop Management: Designing wave progression, enemy tracking, and win/loss conditions.
- Modular Design: Using Blueprint Components (
BPC_Health) for reusable systems. - Data Management: Employing Data Structures for scalable wave design via a Spawning Manager.
- UI Implementation: Creating menus and dynamic HUD elements using UMG.
- Audio Integration: Implementing various sound effects and background music.
While v1.0 provides a complete arena survival experience, future development could evolve the game towards a cave-maze adventure:
- 🗺️ Level Expansion & Exploration: Transition from a single arena to a multi-area, interconnected cave maze structure for the player to navigate and explore.
- 🗝️ Progression Gates: Introduce blocked paths or locked doors between cave sections that only open after defeating all enemies or clearing specific waves within an area, guiding player progress through the maze.
- 💎 Loot & Rewards: Add discoverable treasures or rewards hidden within the cave system (e.g., more powerful weapon variants, permanent stat upgrades like max health increases, health potions, potentially an XP/leveling system element).
- ✨ More Content: Expand the bestiary with new enemy types featuring different attack patterns or abilities, and design more complex wave compositions for different areas.
- 🎨 Visual Variety: Introduce different player character skins/options and create more distinct visual themes for different sections of the cave maze (e.g., crystal caves, lava tunnels, overgrown areas).
- ⏸️ Quality of Life: Implement an in-game Pause Menu.
- 💯 Scoring System: Add an optional score tracker for performance/completion time.
- ⚙️ Further Polish: Continue refining animations, balancing difficulty across the expanded scope, enhancing visual effects, and improving audio cues.
This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details. Feel free to use, modify, and distribute it according to the license terms. 📄