Featured project · 01

John Knuckles

Lead Artist · UI Designer · Game Designer

A retro brawler that puts you inside the fight. Step into a shifting simulation, close the distance, and let your fists do the talking.

A first-person punch hits an enemy with a bright blue impact effect in John Knuckles — **A punch you can read.** Bright blue impact effects cut through the dark arena. Still from the published gameplay footage.

Make every punch the main event.

The appeal of John Knuckles is immediate: you are close enough to the action to feel surrounded by it. Bringing a beat ’em up into first person puts the player’s attention on the next opponent, the space between them, and the moment to commit to a hit. The shifting simulation gives that straightforward fantasy a stranger setting to unfold in.

First-person fists and an enemy-count objective frame the courtyard arena in John Knuckles — **Keep the fight central.** The objective and player status frame the arena without hiding the space ahead.

A focused idea for a game jam

Made for the Game Gauntlet Game Jam 2026, the project needed a clear identity that could carry a compact experience. A gritty retro style and a fists-first premise give players something they can understand at a glance. The design question becomes specific: how can the art and interface keep the player’s attention on the brawl?

Let the hit read at a glance

My role covered lead art, UI design, and game design. In combat, bright blue hit effects stand out against the dark, earthy arena. That contrast gives a punch an immediate visual response, right where the player's attention already is.

The enemy-count objective and player bars sit toward the edges, leaving room for the opponent and fists in the center. The gritty textures establish the retro mood; the contrasting effects and compact interface help the player read what is happening inside it.

What this project shows

A distinct combat premise carried through a collaborative jam project. John Knuckles shows how I bring art direction, UI, and game design together around a player fantasy that is easy to pitch and immediately playable.