Burnfront: Kay Walker

This is the official play model I made for my game called Burnfront. It is a 3rd person-character action game that will incorporate elements of a adrenaline-fueled hack-and-slash gameplay and the deliberate and strategic pace reminiscent of Soul-like games.

In Burnfront, players are thrust into Nexis, a sprawling digital realm that acts as a virtual internet, an interconnected cyberspace. Nexis is more than just an online communication hub; it is a living, breathing digital ecosystem that allows users to access the World Wide Web through an immersive, interactive experience. However, this virtual landscape is under siege. A devastating virus has infiltrated the core systems of major corporate networks, including Bryce and Sons’ architecture, Blue Wind Security, Weaver Advertising Firm, and Shippers. This virus has transformed these once-stable organizations into corrupted fortresses filled with hostile entities and dangerous anomalies.
Players step into the role of Kay, a freelance netrunner for the CCP (Cenova City Police), an elite hacker tasked with infiltrating Nexis to uncover the source of the virus. Kay’s mission is clear: trace the virus’s origin, contain its spread, and unmask the mastermind behind the attack. Armed with advanced hacking tools and combat abilities, Kay must navigate through intricately designed levels, each representing the infected corporate networks now twisted by the virus’s influence.

This is my most ambitious project with designing Kay Walker. I was applying what I learn from the 3 and a half years of game development and 3D modelling skills here at TU, and on my own personal time with the skills. I set out to tackle my hardest challenge, creating my own OC for my game.

His design was ever-evolving as we kept developing our game. Burnfront was supposed to be a 3rd person survival game with a lot of action elements from my favorite action games like DMC and God of War. But as we keep developing, I made the hard but great decision to pivot towards the more action elements of our game and leave the survival elements to the side. With this shift, I had to change and pivot Kay's design to match the game's aesthetics and gameplay, turning Kay from a tank to a more agile and robust character.

This project forced me to iterate on design, develop and test critical 3D skills, and learn critically about character design.

I used an extensive list of software for different processes.
- Blender and Maya for 3D modeling
- ZBrush for the sculpting process
- Krita and Google Docs for concepting
- Substance Painter for Texturing
- Render in Blender
- Photoshop to correct any Texture UVs

I did not use the previous cell shader I made in Unreal. I am doing the final touches on it and will be a separate project here on Artstation. I used a cell shader that a creator has made.

Genshin Impact Character Shader for Blender
Creator: https://www.artstation.com/bjayers/store?tab=digital_product
Link: https://www.artstation.com/marketplace/p/9nrrR/genshin-impact-character-shader-for-blender?utm_source=artstation&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=homepage&utm_term=marketplace

Public combat demo is out now, https://jaydenyounger.itch.io/burnfront-combat-demo