Banuka Mendis

experience: one through the conventions of genre, and the other through affect and atmosphere.

Ascension Run – Genre Game is a third-person sci-fi arcade runner and score-attack experience set on a dangerous orbital course. The player is constantly propelled forward and must steer, accelerate, brake, jump, slide and dodge through obstacles at high speed. Rather than progressing through separate levels, the prototype revolves around a single handcrafted course that is repeated across three increasingly difficult waves, with greater speed, more hazards and fewer safe routes each time. Systems such as near-miss rewards, risky collectibles, scoring and recoverable respawns encourage the player to maintain momentum and take increasingly dangerous routes. The project was designed to communicate the arcade runner genre primarily through movement, speed, challenge and game feel.

Affect Game is a first-person driving experience built around the idea of “protected vulnerability.” The player travels through a dark, rocky forest inside an old, worn off-road vehicle while an unknown creature or presence exists somewhere outside. The vehicle provides shelter, mobility and a sense of control, but it never completely removes the danger surrounding the player. Its enclosed analogue interior, mechanical controls, onboard display, navigation and fuel systems contrast with the uncertain environment beyond the windows. Lighting, sound, environmental design and the threat of the unseen stalker are used to create tension between feeling protected inside the vehicle and remaining vulnerable to what may be waiting outside.

Together, the projects explore two different ways of shaping player experience: Ascension Run through recognisable genre mechanics and high-speed interaction, and Affect Game through atmosphere, spatial design and emotional tension.