Kung Fu Factory
Kung Fu Factory, a Los Angeles-based video game development studio, is known for its diverse portfolio, including fighting games, role-playing games, and collectible card games (CCGs).
As a consultant UX Game Designer, I was brought in to audit and enhance one of their existing games, focusing on improving gameplay, dialogues, character and card abilities, and UI design. My goal was to elevate the game to meet play-to-earn (P2E) standards in the emerging world of crypto-based Web3 games.
Agency
Kung Fu Factory
Role
Sr. Game Designer
Services
UX, UR, Game Design
Legends Reborn: Age of Chance
Legends Reborn: Age of Chance is an exciting 1v1 card battler where players build decks of cards and creatures to compete with others globally. This NFT game, hosted on the Gala Games platform, enables crypto transactions for purchases. These in-game purchases allow players to accrue in-game currency, which can later be converted to USD.
Visual indicators, such as hover damage cursors, directional attack cues, and color-coded displays for health, magic, and action points, along with prominent numbers, enhance gameplay interactions and make them more intuitive.
Legends Reborn already had strong playability, but it lacked confidence in storytelling. Integrating characters, creatures, and abilities into a CCG NFT game was a unique challenge. Multiple iterations were needed to design creature cards that clearly depicted health meters, abilities, and vulnerabilities using a visual symbols language. User testing was crucial in refining these elements. Below are several mid-fi wireframes, which were later enhanced by a UI artist to bring the game to life.
Mid-fi Wireframe 1: creature details
Mid-fi Wireframe 2: creature details
Mid-fi Wireframe 3: creature details
UI Artist Spec of UX Wireframe
When auditing any existing applications, it's crucial to understand the audience and implement intuitive updates that enhance gameplay through storytelling. At the start of this project, I tested the game for several days to grasp the difficulties players faced in integrating their NFTs into the game, managing decks, and understanding collectibility. By creating low-fi wireframes with realistic data, we could quickly reach solutions with stakeholders and project managers. This approach allowed for rapid visualization, helping clarify intentions, enhance existing features, and uncover new opportunities for improvement.
Site-auditing a game can be both enjoyable and tedious. In these frames, several conflicts in messaging how attacks, defense, and kills occur are evident. Adding a series of battle flow descriptive icons can enhance gameplay by providing visual cues that players can quickly learn through repeat play. Often, the best way to convey solutions to game artists is by adding placeholder graphics and annotating actions when a prototype isn't feasible. This approach allowed the game UI artist to rapidly elevate the game's visual flow and overall experience.