Gamedev portfolio

Jump to: Art assets – Level & game design – Music – Other art

Hi! I’m Daniel Lenarčič, also known as BBLIR. I’m a student of Visual Communications at Faculty of design at day and game developer and artist at night.

In this portfolio page I will be showcasing my game development-based art and achievements, as well as other notable artworks and musical compositions. The majority of the pieces here are reminiscent of retro games (meaning I specialize in pixel art and chiptune), as I’m most efficient at it, but I’ve worked in Illustrator, Photoshop and Blender to create art and animations.

Art assets

Static

Before working on my current main project, I briefly worked on a 2D action game, which this mockup is based on.

The premise here is that Ether, the main character, is traversing a post-nuclear, war-torn Earth, as he makes his way back to civilisation (after being exiled due to a major accident). The area is patrolled by drones, belonging to the main villain of the story, who is on the lookout for the crystal that you can see next to the health bar (it provides the user with special powers).

This is the title screen art for the aforementioned main project – Lyrestruck. I aim to create a sense of mistery mixed with fear, so I picked a forest setting, and drew the main character, Irina, behind a tree.

Click here to read about how I designed and drew Irina.

This is an example of an animation set/sprite sheet – I decided to revamp Mega Man’s original 8-bit look, adding new details and smoother animations. This was made for a now cancelled project, and is my most successful attempt at a Mega Man resprite to date.

Here is by far the largest pixel art image I have drawn to date – the world map of Make a Good Mega Man Level: Episode Zero. Some details are missing, as they were overlayed using separate sprites. You can see the map in action below. The goal of this map was to represent each level of the game in its dedicated space (defined by the project’s director). I designed each building to showcase the most defining aspect of its level, so that the player can quickly find the stage they’re looking for.

Animations

This is a highlight of my larger animations – the title screen of Mega Met. I drew the individual frames on paper, scanned them and rendered the sprites, resulting in the jumping characters you see. The letters I constructed in perspective and moved little by little to create a look of solid objects. The two were then combined using code (as well as timing the animation to have Mega Met land just right.) More about Mega Met (the game) below.

This animation is one I’m really proud of, balancing detail suitable for a boss and readability of the sprite and motions. This is the main animation for Atlantis, the boss of my entry at MaGMML3 (seen below, video @ 2:50).

Ionian City Showdown

This is an old 3D animation based on the Ether project, where I designed, modeled and animated the character, boss and environments. I also composed and arranged the music, according to my standards in 2020.

Even though I’m not proud of this animation anymore, I hope it’s still interesting.

Level & game design

Lyrestruck

Lyrestruck is my main solo project, inspired by games like Metroid, Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow and Undertale. It is a 2D platformer Metroidvania set in a forest setting, and follows Irina in a gauntlet of challenges.

Eight areas are planned for the game – the first area, serving as a tutorial for the game, is finished and will be featured in SAGE 2024.

To the right you can see a quick showcase, as well as a recording of the full area, featuring simple platforming challenges, a place to meet the supporting characters of the game, and the introduction of the main villain of the game, which has a connection to the titular lyre.

Mega Met

This is likely my most well-known game at the moment, currently half-way through development. It is a Mega Man fangame, featuring an altered version of Mega Man that can hide under a shield. The game utilizes this mechanic not only to let the player avoid damage, but is also used to deflect shots at other enemies, as well as locks to open doors.

Aside from being the director, I take care of the graphics and have made a few of the levels. Shown is the intro stage, teaching the main mechanics.

A (now very old) demo was featured in the 2021 edition of SAGE

Make a Good Mega Man Level Contests

MaGMML3 – 11th place/175: Access Corridor Alpha

I created this level in 2018, with the game coming out in June 2024. Access Corridor Alpha is based on the NES game Metal Storm, where I borrowed tile set, enemy and obstacle design, and adapted them to the Mega Man style. I also translated its main mechanic, gravity switching, and based the stage around it.

MaG48hMML – 14th place/107: Frigid Inferno

Prior to the start of MaGMML 3 submissions, there was a level design contest with two restrictions:

the level had to be made withing 48 hours
the enemy and gimmick set was set by a randomizer

I got seesaw platforms and crystal droppers, which gave me the idea to create a theme of fire & ice. I started by introducing the enemies and droppers, then the seesaw, and finally combined the two gimmicks to create a new level of challenge for the final sections.

MaGMML: Episode Zero – Scorched Factory

This game, released in 2020, was a spinoff of the main contest lineup, and instead of a competition, each level approved by a QA team.

Scorched Factory was the first of 2 levels I submitted, and I designed to be an early-game level, and so I designed it to test the player’s skill with the stomp mechanic, and generally aimed to make it easier. This level features an original tile set and background, as well as the midboss and boss sprites.

MaGMML: Episode Zero – Forgotten Fortress: the Lab

The other level I designed for the game, this time focusing on taking advantage of Zero’s increased speed and mobility compared to Mega Man as seen in the other games (as well as the official Capcom games).

The theme is based on my MaGMML2 level (Forgotten Fortress), specifically the “lab” section.

Music

Bossfight

Boss theme intended for the Ether project.

Lyrestruck Main Theme

The main theme of Lyrestruck that plays on the title screen.

Magma Level

Theme that plays in the underground magma area in Lyrestruck.

Phrygian City

Theme that plays in Phrygian City, the oriental-themed HUB from the Ether project.

Mechanical Beat (overgrown)

Alternate theme of the mechanical area in Lyrestruck.

Endgame Level

Level theme for the first in the endgame level gauntlet planned for the Ether project.

Other art

Here I’ll be mainly featuring pieces from my daily drawing challenge, as well as some miscellaneous art pieces and paintings. Character designs and illustrations link to sources, in case you would like to read up on the characters.

Lyrestruck promotional painting.

Teaser painting for Lyrestruck, featuring the titular lyre.

Irina finding an artifact.

Toa Nidhiki (character design, based on the Bionicle character). I aimed to present his back-stabbing nature, and gave him a sythe to hint his later form.