Smash Allstars

Arena View 4
Arena View 2
Arena View 1
Arena Layout
Arena View 3

Inspiration

Smash Allstars was inspired by the chaos and excitement of classic arena brawlers mixed with the competitive intensity of battle royales. We wanted to create a world that rewards both quick reflexes and smart strategy, where players can laugh, shout, and strategize all at once. The vision was simple: take the fun of dodgeball, add mallets, a fun arena, and a layer of intelligent AI chaos — then crank it up to eleven.

What it does

Smash Allstars is a multiplayer battle royale where players fight with mallets to stay inside the arena for as long as possible. The game gets faster, tougher, and more unpredictable as you rank up. The world features custom Gen AI-powered NPCs that adapt their difficulty based on player performance, a dynamic AI voice announcer that reacts in real time, and Gen AI-generated sound effects for a fully immersive experience. To raise the stakes, higher-level players are automatically targeted by smarter, more accurate bots, keeping the competition balanced and intense.

How we built it

The project was developed using Horizon Worlds’ desktop editor, Blender for modeling and optimization, and a Gen AI assistant for sound design, NPC behavior, and the non-embodied announcer system. The arena was designed on a single trim sheet to improve performance, allowing for detailed visuals with minimal lag. All scripts were tested and tuned for stability and fast-paced gameplay.

Challenges we ran into

Optimization and balance were our biggest hurdles. Early on, NPCs became nearly unbeatable and required major reprogramming to balance difficulty. Managing visuals and performance on one trim sheet also pushed the limits of creativity and precision. And managing the number of NPC because it was a direct hit on performance, we tried several systems.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

We successfully built a smooth, high-action world that blends player skill with AI unpredictability. The Gen AI announcer system and adaptive NPCs set Smash Allstars apart as an example of what’s possible with creative AI integration. We're really proud of the ranked leaderboard and player live feed that tracks wins, eliminations, and survival time

What we learned

We learned how to balance performance, gameplay flow, and difficulty using Gen AI tools. Most importantly, we gained experience merging AI-assisted design with traditional scripting to create a more dynamic player experience.

What's next for Smash Allstars

Next, we plan to expand the roster with new arenas, advanced AI personalities, power-up systems, and weapons. The ultimate goal is to make Smash Allstars the most replayable and competitive social brawler in Horizon Worlds.