Gismonda

2024

Gismonda is a 2D narrative boss-fighting game inspired by Victorien Sardou’s 1894 melodrama, reimagined as a mythic action adventure about strength, divine power, and personal legacy. Players take on the role of Gismonda, a noble widow seeking the blessing of the goddess Eos to protect her city after the death of her husband. Through responsive, ability-based combat, players charge a divine Halo to heal, dash, and unleash powerful special attacks while facing off against deadly foes. In the demo, Gismonda receives her powers at the temple and is put to the test in a dramatic encounter with a tiger chimera, blending theatrical storytelling, emotional stakes, and strategic gameplay into a powerful opening act.

    • Designer

    • Programmer

    • Artist

    • Unity

    • Procreate

    • Adobe Illustrator

    • Wwise

DEVELOPMENT

DESIGN

As the combat designer on Gismonda, I developed the full design for the game's first boss encounter and helped establish the foundational combat dynamics for the overall experience. My goal was to create an encounter that served as both a narrative introduction and a mechanical showcase, giving players a satisfying, reactive challenge while teaching them the basics of movement, defense, and ability use.

The tiger chimera boss was built around mixing brute strength with sudden bursts of agility. I designed its kit to include wide slashes, leap attacks, delayed ranged poison shots, and a roar that knocks the player back. The boss uses behavioral responses to counter various player patterns, encouraging them to vary their approach and think tactically, even during fast-paced combat.

Programming

As a gameplay programmer, I was responsible for implementing core combat systems, AI behavior, and encounter logic for the boss fight. I programmed the full AI logic for the tiger chimera, including movement, target selection, attack timing, and state transitions tied to animations. The boss uses Unit’s State machine system to make decisions 

I implemented systems that allow the boss to detect and react to specific player actions. For example, if the player attacks too many times in a row from close range, the tiger will roar to push them back. I programmed detection logic, damage handling, and vulnerability states, and ensured the boss logic was fully tied into visual, audio, and animation feedback.

I worked with other programmers to build a scalable combat and damage system that could be reused across player and enemy characters. I worked with artists and sound designers to hook their assets into the gameplay, handling animation state machines, trigger conditions, visual effects, and synced sound cues that made every attack feel responsive and impactful.