My roles:

Mechanic & System Design and Implementation
Level/World Design
UI/UX Design
Enemy/Boss Design
Narrative/Dialogue Writing & Revision
Pitching/Marketing/Communications

what is Mazu?

Mazu is a 2D top-down hack n’ slash bullet hell with a strong emphasis on movement. Set in an alternate mythical reality of civilization raised within the walls of the maze, players take the role of Xun, the 3rd child of family who have managed to climb to the upperclass. Thrust from the safety of home into the deadly ever-shifting Maze, Xun begins on a journey of self discovery and maturation. Exploring uniques zones based on different regions of East-Asian mythologies, Xun starts seeing the world for all it’s danger, and beauty, with their own eyes.

Behind the Curtain

While most bullet hells focus on taking out enemies from afar, Mazu attempts to create its own unique take on the experience by incentivizing diving into the fray. With the right timing, Xun can slip by bullets, gaining speed to close the distance between them and their enemies. Starting in the hub city of Mazu, the player explores regions I’ve mapped out based on Chinese, Japanese, Persian, and Indonesian Mythology; the lands of Shitou, Mizu, Azar, and Rimba. While these maps are set in their construction like a tradition world zone, the maze between the city and these lands is our ever changing procedural generation maze. As a region is completed, that land will seep into the maze to reclaim what was lost, giving birth to new rooms and enemy combinations with it.

Players can embark on quests for their friends to buff stats, and can take advantage of an ability augment system to create their own specialized toolkit to face different challenges. I conceived the Bullet Parry, along with a time-slowing meditation mechanic, as a way to bridge the two genres. The player has a bow and arrow, whose projectile may only stun and not kill. Based on how the player faces these challenges they may experience the hidden campaign, but that’s the only hint I’ll give for now!

Our team really wanted to take this opportunity to make something that we could be really proud of. We’ve been able to take it to different Expos, most recently Play NYC in New York City before the pandemic. With the overwhelming positive reception that we received, I look forward to when this title can be fully realized.