Overview
We created Kaida: The Little Dragon for project two in our introductory to game design & development ITCS-4230 course at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. I was the main creator behind the game, serving as the designer, programmer, and producer. I also created all the UI, wrote the story/dialogue, created many art assets, and more.
Kaida: The Little Dragon is a narrative-focused 2D puzzle-platformer game based on Japanese mythology featuring original art assets, level design, and more.
Kaida: The Little Dragon
Story
Once upon a time, there was a dragon named Kaida. Kaida was born outside a small village in a mythological Japanese town. When the tyrant leader threatens the villagers’ way of life, Kaida must learn the ways of her ancestors and save her people. But after Kaida completes her training and climbs the sacred mountain, she discovers a shocking secret that changes everything she thought she knew.
Platforms: Windows PC
Finished: May 31, 2024
Team Size: 4
Duration: 40+ days
Engine: GameMaker
Language: GML
Role: Lead Creator (Designer, Programmer, Producer)
Available on itch.io for Windows: https://jacob10jarrett.itch.io/kaida-the-little-dragon
Watch the trailer here. 👇
Game Overview Trailer (Created by me)
Screenshots
What I Created:
Technical Design:
Created and programmed all core gameplay mechanics, including player movement, wall-jumping, crate-pushing, dash ability, and player collision system.
Designed and developed all puzzle systems and interactive elements: pressure plates, moving platforms, bouncy platforms, and the checkpoint system.
Systems & Implementation
Implemented parallax backgrounds for visual depth and atmosphere.
Created all particle effects for environmental and gameplay feedback.
Integrated royalty-free music, ensuring proper looping and transitions across gameplay states.
Managed GitHub repository and coordinated communication between teammates to maintain project cohesion.
Coyote Time + Dash Ability
Wall Jumping
Pressure Plates
Crate Pushing
Dragon Click Puzzle
Bouncy Slime
Checkpoint System
UI/UX & Visual Assets
Designed, drew, and implemented all UI components and menu systems, including the title screen, death screen, and win screen.
Created the title screen and game logo, created in Adobe Photoshop.
Drew sprites for dialogue portraits, village buildings, torii gates, egg, UI buttons, crates, and other environmental assets.
Created the opening in-game cutscene and mountain cutscene, created in Adobe After Effects.
Created the official game trailer, showcasing gameplay, tone, and core mechanics.
Title Screen (Background and logo were drawn by me and created in Photoshop)
UI Prompts
Opening Egg Hatch
Death Screen (randomly selected text appears)
Particle Effects
Arrival at Sacred Mountain Cutscene
Level Design:
Designed and built the entire level design for the game, from concept to final implementation, balancing pacing, traversal, and environmental storytelling.
Level 1: New Beginnings (Prologue)
New Beginnings (Prologue) Level Design – Full Flow Diagram
Levels 2 & 4: Takayama Village
Takayama Village Level Design – Full Flow Diagram
Level 3: Spirit Caverns
Spirit Caverns Level Design – Full Flow Diagram with Combat, Puzzle, and Ability Progression
Level 5: Sacred Mountain
Spirit Caverns Level Design – Highlights
Sacred Mountain Level Design – Full Flow Diagram
Sacred Mountain Level Design – Highlights
Level 6: Kistune’s Trial (Boss Fight)
Level 7: Summit of Truth (Final Boss Fight)
Narrative
Wrote the story and all in-game dialogue, integrating it into gameplay beats.
Story / Dialogue
What I Learned:
Kaida: The Little Dragon was the project where I learned how to bring narrative, level design, and mechanics together into one cohesive experience. Building the game from the ground up taught me how to design levels with pacing and player flow in mind, while also layering in traversal, combat, and puzzle systems that feel responsive and purposeful.
On the technical side, I deepened my understanding of GML scripting, collision systems, and state management, while learning how to prototype and iterate quickly inside GameMaker. Creating checkpoints, particle effects, and custom UI/UX elements gave me practice in problem-solving and refining systems until they felt seamless to the player.
From an artistic and storytelling perspective, I learned the importance of environmental storytelling and thematic cohesion. Naming levels, designing encounters, and creating cutscenes prompted me to consider how every detail—visuals, pacing, and mechanics—reinforces the emotional arc of the story.
Perhaps most importantly, this project demonstrated to me the value of effective scope management. By focusing on a smaller, polished experience, I learned how to balance ambition with feasibility, ensuring the final product was meaningful, functional, and complete.
Copyright © Jacob Jarrett 2024