Bullet runner – pitch-deck
– TL;DR –
what is bullet runner?
Bullet Runner is a fast-paced twin-stick shooter, with a focus on skill-based gameplay and push forward combat.
Dodge, slide, swing and shoot to fight your way to the end of each level. With a wide variety of big fucking guns, skills and abilities, the player is tasked to strategize their every move to succeed in combat.
what is kami games?
Kami Games is a new indie-game studio located in the Netherlands, working on our first commercial project: ‘Bullet Runner’.
We’ve been active since 2021.
Our main focus is on bringing back the magic of retro-gaming, by complementing the visuals and design with today’s standards.
what do we need?
To make this project truly shine, we’re going to need money. To be exact, 80.000,- Euro, or 92.168,- USD, as shown in the budget plan below. Most of the budget will be used to hire new people so we can speed up the development time, and improve the quality of the content.
Why invest in bullet runner?
We believe that there is a big market for skill-based games like Bullet Runner. Especially with the low amount of linear singleplayer releases these times, we believe Bullet Runner will be a breath of fresh air in the market.
– Gameplay –
the game
Bullet Runner is a fast-paced twin-stick shooter, with a focus on skill-based gameplay and push forward combat. The main mode of the game will be a handcrafted linear singleplayer campaign, where the player’s skill is tested. We estimate the campaign to be approximately 10 hours long, and will feature multiple unlockable difficulties to choose from. On top of the singleplayer mode, we’re also working hard on an in-game level editor, where players can build their own levels and share them with the community with a single click. We are looking into alternative modes such as multiplayer and wave survival, but we can’t make promises on that front just yet (Although an investment would go a long way, hint hint).
We are currently targeting a launch on PC / Steam, and are looking out for opportunities to port to primarily Nintendo Switch, but PlayStation and Xbox as well.
Push forward combat
The core gameplay of Bullet Runner is designed around the principles of ‘push forward combat’. This means that all of the mechanics in the game push the player to get themselves into the fight, rather than forcing them to run away and take cover to regain health.
Ammo can be replenished by performing a finisher on an enemy, by striking them with a melee attack. Performing a finisher also charges the players ‘kick’ ability.
Health can be replenished by kicking enemies, which makes them drop health orbs.
Both of these ‘resource mechanics’ motivate the player to always be in the midst of the battle, as well as enforce the use of both mechanics in a constant feedback loop. These two mechanics are the core of Bullet Runner.
movement
In order for these close-quarter combat mechanics to work, the player needs to be able to get to, and away from, the enemy as fast as possible. This is why we’ve put a great deal of time into designing a satisfying movement-system for the player.
Of course, using this system doesn’t go without player skill. Sliding, dodge-rolling, wall-running, rail-grinding and running on top of an explosive barrel like a true acrobat are just a few of the movement options available to the player.
Each and every one of them with their own benefits and drawbacks, where the player has to decide what to use in what situation.
Enemies
But what good do powerful player-mechanics do without enemies to use them on? We often compare the gameplay of Bullet Runner to a game of real-time chess.
All of the enemy-types that players will encounter in the game, have been purposefully designed to create a disruptive conundrum within the core toolkit of the player, challenging them to go out of their comfort-zone and try on a new approach to combat.
To name a few examples: enemies that have synergy when together (heavy enemies throwing smaller enemies to the player), support types that buff other enemies around them, fast-moving melee strikers that stun-lock the player and many more.
Guns
And of course, the player will need some big fucking guns to fight their enemies. As you may have noticed from the clips shown above, quickly swapping between different guns is the key to victory when playing Bullet Runner.
Six unique gun-slots are available to the player, with each slot being bound to a specific gun-type (pistol, shotgun, machine-gun, rocket, sniper and plasma).
Every gun-type has its own unique purpose within the combat loop, motivating players to purposefully switch to the right gun for the job. Throughout the game, players will find opportunities to unlock new guns, and fine-tune their own personal play-style.
– motivation –
why skill-based?
All of us here at Kami Games grew up with skill-based video games. The feeling of putting in the hours to train and get better at a game, followed by winning an encounter you could’ve never beaten before, is amazingly rewarding. We strife to bring back this specific satisfaction to a new audience, by mixing old-school design with modern technology.
Why bullet runner?
Bullet Runner is the perfect combination of everything we love about video games. Hardcore skill-based gameplay, fast-paced movement, responsive controls and a power-fantasy reward for everyone able to beat the challenge presented to them.
– The team –
Laura – game designer
Hi there!
I am Laura Brugel, the head of Kami Games. I am an all-around designer with a broad spectrum of different skills, which I put to good use here at Kami!
My core skillset exists of the following:
- Programming
- Composing
- Design
- Art
thommaz kauffmann – sound designer
I’m Thommaz Kauffmann, a Composer and Sound Designer known for distinct video game soundtracks and memorable tunes.
I started developing games when I was 11 and began taking piano lessons in my teens. Since 2010, I have composed and work on soundtracks for independent games.
I have a Bachelor’s Degree in Music Composition at the State University of São Paulo (UNESP) and a specialization in electroacoustic music under the supervision of Brazilian composer Flô Menezes.
TillerQueen – game artist
Hi, I’m Nike and I’m the italo-dutch game developer that just wants to make banger games! I’m a kind of an all-rounder, but for Kami Games I mostly do visual stuff.
My contributions include:
- Pixel art
- Textures
- 3D Models
- Shaders
- Making the water shiny and the pixels crunchy
– Future plans –
Porting
We are currently targeting a launch on PC / Steam, and are looking out for opportunities to port to primarily Nintendo Switch, but PlayStation and Xbox as well. We see a lot of potential for the game on the Nintendo Switch. Due to the fixed camera and responsive controls, players will be able to play just as skill-full as on any other console.
content updates
Post-launch, we plan to release a number of free content updates. These content updates will include new options and content for the level editor, a wave-based infinite arena mode, and possible online multiplayer versus. These updates will keep players coming back after completing the main campaign, and increase the live-span of the game.
dlc
Post-launch, we also plan on releasing paid DLC content to extend the main campaign of the game. This will keep players engaged, and challenge them with even harder enemy-encounters.
the Budget
To make this project truly shine, we’re going to need money. To be exact, 80.000,- Euro, or 92.168,- USD, as shown in the budget plan below. The biggest chunk of the budget will be spent to hire two full-time experienced developers (one artist and one programmer), as well as paying our existing team members. By expanding our team, we’ll be able to develop at a faster rate, and put more focus on the quality of the content we put out. This will also enable us to work on additional features such as online multiplayer.