~/work/last-spark
Last Spark
A dark fantasy roguelike tower defense for Android. I made it from scratch under Lazarion Game Studio: the art direction, graphics, game design, code, music and story.
LazarionGame Studio
01The problem
I wanted to make a mobile game people come back to because it plays fair. A lot of games in this genre slow you down until you pay, or give the top scores to whoever spends the most.
So the goal was a run-based game where skill decides how far you get. Give two players the same time and no wallet, and they should still end up with very different scores.
02The approach
I did every part myself, so the design and the code could change together, and I put it in front of testers early.
- Art direction, graphics, game design, programming, music and story were all mine, under Lazarion Game Studio.
- It's TypeScript and Canvas 2D on Vite, packaged as an Android app with Capacitor. It works fully offline, in English, German and French.
- It went through many releases in Google Play closed testing, and each one changed based on how people actually played.
03Key decisions
These are the choices that keep a run fair and keep you curious.
- 01
No pay-to-win
Power comes from playing: Embers from every kill, a Blessing each time you level up, and spells you cast at the right moment. Your build is the result of your own decisions.
- 02
Something new every run
There are ten Depths, each with its own rule, boss and piece of the story. 18 Blessings can fuse into Mythic evolutions, and six hearths open up as you go deeper, so no two runs play the same.
- 03
Balanced for new and old players
The first night teaches you how the dark works, with Auto Spell casting for you until wave 12. For experienced players, 2X and 3X speed and the Dawn ranks keep pushing the score higher.
04Results
Last Spark has finished closed testing on Google Play, and I'm getting it ready for release.
- 0Pay-to-win mechanics
- 10Depths in the Descent
- 6Disciplines, one developer