Dungeon Defense

Inspiration

My main inspiration was the many isekai and fantasy anime I've seen, where adventurers try to beat a dungeon. However, I decided to reverse this classic scenario and let the player feel the satisfaction of manually constructing their own dungeon. I wanted to recreate the feeling of being a Dungeon Overlord, where you can carefully plan the dungeon's layout and select powerful monsters.

How we built it

Since this is a game design competition, the "build" process was entirely focused on pre-production and systemic design. I started by outlining the core loops in the Game Design Document, ensuring the transition between the "Setup Phase" (placing traps and drafting monsters) and the "Wave Phase" (defending against the adventurers) felt seamless and rewarding.

I visualized the player's emotional arc during the crucial first 15 minutes using the Player Journey Map. For the visual identity, I developed a Visual Concept Package that contrasts the dark, gritty atmosphere of the dungeon with the flashy, colorful abilities of the anime-inspired heroes. Finally, I structured a realistic Production Plan, focusing on a lean MVP that completely avoids complex multiplayer networking in favor of a robust, highly replayable PvE experience.

What we learned

This project made me realize just how incredibly complex and multi-layered the field of game design truly is. I have always dreamed of creating various games and often brainstormed concepts in my head, but this was my first real encounter with the actual design process. It has been an absolutely fascinating experience to finally be able to turn those long-standing ideas into concrete design documents and structure them so professionally.

The most important lesson I am taking away from this is the understanding that an idea alone is just the beginning of the journey. I learned that for a game to hook players for countless hours and deliver a truly satisfying experience, a great concept is simply not enough—it requires rigorous, deep design of every single mechanic, meticulous balancing, and a highly thoughtful core gameplay loop. This experience has completely changed my perspective on how games are brought to life.