Retinal Burn
Solo Prototype | Horror FPS | Systems Design
  中文版



Core Statement

Retinal Burn is a solo horror FPS prototype built around a visual alignment mechanic: the player discovers cult symbols in the environment, “burns” them into their own vision, and uses those retinal afterimages to attack a boss. Instead of treating this idea as a puzzle-only concept, I chose to develop it as a first-person combat system.

My target audience is players who enjoy horror FPS games, boss fights, and experimental mechanics. The intended player experience is a mix of tension, uncertainty, and satisfaction: I want players to feel pressure while aiming, discomfort while reading visual information, and reward when they successfully align the symbol and land an attack.


Design Intent

When people think about retinal afterimages—those bright spots left in your vision after staring at intense light—the most obvious direction is usually a puzzle game. I intentionally chose a different direction. I wanted to explore whether this same visual idea could support a combat-driven horror FPS instead.

That choice shaped the entire design process. 

I asked:

• How can vision itself become part of a combat loop?

• How can a mechanic based on visual discomfort still feel readable and fair?

• How can a horror boss fight use perception as both atmosphere and gameplay?

This led to a design where the player is not simply aiming at an enemy, but comparing, aligning, and committing under pressure.


The main player experience goals were:

• Visual uncertainty: the mechanic should feel unusual and slightly uncomfortable, but still understandable.
• Reward through precision: success should come from careful observation, not random shooting.
• Escalation: the boss fight should become more unstable and threatening over time.
• Psychological horror through mechanics: the player’s own screen and vision should feel compromised.
• Inescapable retinal horror: I wanted the horror to feel impossible to look away from—like an afterimage burned into the player’s retina that cannot simply disappear.

Research and How It Shaped My Design

Because this is a horror FPS prototype, I researched how horror shooters handle pressure, aiming, readability, and enemy presentation.

One important takeaway from horror FPS design is that fear often weakens when combat becomes too clear or too familiar （resident evil). At the same time, if aiming becomes too awkward or unreadable, players stop feeling tension and start feeling frustration. That balance became central to my process.



This research directly influenced several design decisions:

Boss placement had to support both horror and aiming

My earliest version placed the boss on the ground, which made the encounter feel more horror-driven and physically threatening. However, testing showed that this made aiming too awkward in first person. Players had difficulty reading the symbol clearly and positioning the camera in a satisfying way.

Because of that, I changed the boss presentation:

•Version 1: boss on the ground

•Version 2: boss repositioned as a vertical target space, making the symbol easier to read while still preserving an unsettling presence



This was one of the clearest examples of research and testing shaping a system-level change.



Documentation and Process

This documentation helped me move fluidly between:

    •macro design: player experience, horror pacing, system structure

    •micro design: hit detection, alignment checks, health readability, success thresholds

That process is one of the main things I wanted this prototype to demonstrate.



Reflection

This project represents how I approach solo game design: starting from a strong conceptual hook, then testing whether it can survive contact with actual gameplay. My goal was not just to create an interesting visual idea, but to prove that I can build a functional game system around it, evaluate where it fails, and improve it through iteration.

I see Retinal Burn as a strong prototype rather than a finished game. Its main value is that it shows my ability to:

    • design original mechanics

    • think in systems

    • iterate based on testing

    • document design decisions clearly

    • balance concept, readability, and player experience

With more time, I would continue polishing the prototype’s pacing, feedback, and horror presentation, but even in its current form, it demonstrates the core of how I think as a game designer.












Game Design Document: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1uLh1qgvUmlYykcYp74sJ7dAb8e2uLJSY/view?usp=sharing

Screen record: https://docs.google.com/videos/d/1m7B4KMmbe1VDUatBaISuUzeDrAOAwfC4VX7uME8QiOM/edit?usp=sharing

Play it on itch: https://dduuoo.itch.io/eyeburn
~contact me for download link error~