Chenyang Huang
© Chenyang Huang

PANTHEON

Role: System Design, UI/UX design, Narrative design

— SYSTEM NAME

Pantheon


— SYSTEM TYPE

Rogue-like Dungeon


— REPSONSIBLE

System Design, UX design, Narrative design

When I received this task from my lead designer to design a dungeon base on our existing combat, which opens once every two days, we discussed several options.


Eventually, we decided to make a rogue-like dungeon because this game mode provides refreshed experience to the player every time they play while the Level remains the same. 


In this dungeon, the player will experience an adventure with gods and heroes from the Odyssey. It contains a lot of rogue-like elements.

RESEARCH

I researched many successful rouge-like games on all platforms, such as Hades, Slay the Spire, Darkest Dungeon, and Night of Full Moon. 


Through research, I found many key points to make a successful rouge-like game.





ECONOMIC CYCLE MAP

In the early stage, I drew this map, listing all the events, explaining the economic cycle of this dungeon, and roughly planning out the power balance of each section.


In Depth

The key point of making a successful rouge-like game is to make it not repetitive. I list some of the efforts I made below.



Unique Spell

The spell must be unique and powerful so the player will not be repetitive. Therefore, besides the trophy, I also designed god's blessing, a powerful spell cast into the battle. The player can upgrade it to enhance this spell.


In the beginning, I made this chart to ensure the unique experience of each god, although some of them didn't make it into the game due to time issues.


Importantly, these blessings will only unlock until the player plays this dungeon many times. This process gives them a purpose to play this dungeon repeatedly.
























Trophy Design

After the battle, the player will receive some Trophies (random rewards) and make some choices. However, these Trophies should contain some strategic meaning. Otherwise, it only depends on luck. The player will get bored quickly.


For example, the player can choose the Trophy, which enhances the types of heroes they have; or they can choose between Health, Energy, and Conis.


Here is one interesting Trophy. This Demon Dagger belongs to a set of three. So, the player has to make a strategic decision based on the chance they can collect the whole set. They benefit more as they gain more.












Strategy

This dungeon should contain the right amount of randomness and strategy. When there is too much randomness, the player will feel out of control, but when there is too much strategy, it can become overwhelming.


I designed the store, where players can spend coins to buy blessings and trophies based on the ones they already have. Also, they must decide whether to spend the money now or save it for later.













Gambling

On the other hand, I designed Division where the players can gamble for rewards. 


People love gambling because of the excitement of winning and losing. Their bodies still produce adrenalin and endorphins even when they’re losing while gambling.


Of course, this is not real gambling, but the player can still get satisfaction from it. Good game mechanics always needs a bit of gambling.













Engaging The Player

I also want the player to feel engaged in the story, other than just dry game mechanics. So, I researched Greek mythology and designed some encounters.


The player will participate in one of those Homeric epics in these events. They will be asked some questions or given some tasks. They will gain wisdom and bravery points, god blessings, Trophies, or rewards based on their choice.


Furthermore, it will switch them to a different storyline and have them fight different enemies or bosses.










Achievements


In the game the player have to finish the achievements to unlock some new features, such as new gods, stronger trophies, or even new bosses. So, the player will experience some new feature everytime they play.


Some of these achievements require you to collect events in dungeons, which is easy to do if you play the game a lot. Some of these are hard to achieve, which is great for players who love challenges.















Narritive Design

I researched the Pottery of ancient Greece, which has a graphic-looking art style, and each tells a story. This art style engaged the player in the methodology world of ancient greek.