The Trials of Aerlynn
2D - PIXEL ART - PLATFORMER - METROIDVANIAOverview
The Trials of Aerlynn is a 2D Metroidvania platformer built in Unreal Engine 5.4, created as an exploration of genre fundamentals and the design of responsive, satisfying movement mechanics.
Although the project began with a provided 2D Action Platformer template, I found the underlying systems to be a little inconsistent and inaccurate at times. For example, the sliding mechanic moved the player through forward using their position vector rather than interacting with gravity, physics, or collision in any sort of meaningful way. To achieve a more grounded and intuitive game feel, I rebuilt the character controller from scratch using UE5 Blueprints, ensuring that physics, momentum, and level geometry played an active role in moving around the world.
As a solo developer, I handled all aspects of implementation and integration. I adapted and edited sprite assets from external creator packs and created new animations to match the existing visual style (such as spellcasting animations for Dreamir’s Woman Warrior pack, and my own Blazing Pyre object sprites and animations). I also modified audio tracks in Audacity to produce seamless looping gameplay tracks. The project served as both a technical and design-focused exercise in understanding how systemic mechanics, visual cohesion, and player experience / feedback come together for a Metroidvania experience.
You can find credits for all the assets used in this project at the bottom of this page. Thank you to Dominik Rangel for creating original splash art for Aerlynn herself.
Gameplay Walkthrough
Gameplay Showcase
Throughout the game, tips will show up to help introduce power ups, mechanics, and locations. Some walls can be broken to open up new paths.
These stone and gold braziers with gemstones are called Pyres, but they're not all lit up yet. Hitting a certain amount of them will open up new doors across the map.
Item #1: The Super Tome. Casting it will fire a holy bullet forward that can trigger Pyres and damage enemies from afar!
Some walls hide secrets and collectibles behind them!
Item #2: Stone Breaker. Allows you to do a downwards slam attack while in the air and break through crumbling stone blocks.
Item #3: Sliding Boots. Allows you to slide through small crevices, giving you a boost of ground movement.
Hazards throughout the map won't kill you right away, they'll just send you to the nearest platform to try again!
Item #4: Sticky Gloves. Allows you to cling to walls and jump from them, as well as slide down them slowly.
Item #5: Seraph Amulet. Allows you to jump again in the air to reach new heights!
Item #6: Slipstream Armor. While in the air, you can press the Slide key to perform an air dash with a huge burst of speed! Be careful though, once used you can't do it again until you land.
Look out for mystical Azure Beads. Grabbing them in the air will recharge your air dash immediately, allowing you to go even farther!
Using all your items and abilities together will be key to overcoming Aerlynn's trials and becoming a movement master!
Development Process
World First, Systems Second
This project began with a design-first, ask-questions-later mindset. Before touching mechanics, I wanted to design the map as a way to discover what abilities and systems the game should be built around. For me, a good Metroidvania isn’t just about the movement, it’s about giving players a good reason to explore, to return to familiar places with new tools, and to understand the world as a series of distinct regions with their own identities and challenges.
Hollow Knight was a major reference point. Its maps do a great job of communicating terrain, difficulty, and progression, helping players visualize where they’ve been, where they are, and where they might want to explore next. I wanted to capture that same sense of space and logic, even if it was at a smaller scale.
I knew I wouldn’t be able to implement a fully dynamic fog-of-war map within my roughly one-month timeline, but emulating that structure on paper (or iPad)
World First, Systems Second
This project began with a design-first, ask-questions-later mindset. Before touching mechanics, I wanted to design the map as a way to discover what abilities and systems the game should be built around. For me, a good Metroidvania isn’t just about the movement, it’s about giving players a good reason to explore, to return to familiar places with new tools, and to understand the world as a series of distinct regions with their own identities and challenges.
Hollow Knight was a major reference point. The level layouts and maps do a great job of communicating terrain, difficulty, and progression, helping players visualize where they’ve been, where they are, and where they might want to explore next. I wanted to capture that same sense of space and logic, even if it was at a smaller scale.
I knew I wouldn’t be able to implement a fully dynamic fog-of-war map within my roughly one-month timeline, but emulating that structure on paper (or iPad) still shaped how I designed my zones. This hand-drawn map represents my earliest vision for Aerlynn’s world, though the original concept was much smaller and far less serious in tone. Early on, the project was called Caves of Chicago, built around the absurd idea of Chicago as a medieval fantasy land treated with the same ominous reverence as Mordor is in the Tolkien books. The idea never left me though, and you’ll find some cheeky references still leftover in the game.
<- You can check out the Character blueprint in your browser by clicking Fullscreen
