Unity 3D RPG mobile game development in Romania
Client
ASSIST Software developed a free mobile game for Android and iOS using high production values and AA/AAA pipelines, while integrating the latest technologies to promote our Unity expertise. Elly and the Ruby Atlas stands as an non NDA-protected example with a player base and storyline. This offline RPG is a tribute to single-player focused games where gameplay and features make or break the player’s immersion.
Industry
Services
Country
Company size
A different direction
Developing a retro-feel game out of passion.
Elly and the Ruby Atlas was developed as a tribute to the times when games were single player focused and didn’t have a “pay-to-win” option. This free to play game has no extra features or items you can buy. This passion project is our Interactive Technologies Department way of enhancing skills while creating a beloved product for retro gamers.
With this adventure RPG, ASSIST Software explores a different path of video games that can be developed in Romania while also emphasizing the lost concept of pure gameplay through:
Trade, travel and combat mechanics
The game’s main loop revolves around roaming the world - there are 20+ towns for the player to discover, each with their own economy, history and resources produced and consumed. The travel system has an encounter component (wrapped around a concentric difficulty “ring” of the world map) that is basically a stat check for the players’ ship.
The platformer component is a stripped-down version of classic games with focus on reflex and skill-based fights. There is a fully customizable and upgradable ship that one needs to take care of so that they can travel the seas and withstand hazardous weather and raids. The player needs to recruit crew members and upgrade their ship to maximize trading profits.
What we worked on:
Reflex-based combat system
Supply & demand trading
Inventory & Crafting systems
Rogue-like arena game mode
Voiced-over narrative
Online leader boards
Unique story missions
Ship upgrades & customization
Building expertise with gameplay and storytelling
Elly and the Ruby Atlas is a side scrolling action-adventure game offering the experience of being a strategic explorer in the age of pirates.
The story is set in a fictional tropical world and the player takes the role of Elly, a young captain of a carrack, whose goal is to find and retrieve the Ruby Atlas from the infamous pirate Saberhook.
The game is designed around 3 gameplay pillars: action-oriented combat, a supply and demand trade system and highly customizable player ship. A arena combat system ads a competition aspect to the game’s mechanics.
It has a strong focus on exploring, bolstered by trading for profit, crafting new items and city building sub-mechanics, including developing a personal island. For this, we developed a fully functional financial system and plausible, non-immersion breaking game economy.
There is also a narrated linear storyline, driven forward by the player. Each mission has a narrated backstory and a special loading screen.
As the game is a hybrid of subgenres and semi-open world, it can be a sandbox experience with freedom to explore for players to go their own way.
Changing mobile gaming through
cutting-edge technologies
We leverage advanced technologies to develop mobile apps that ensure downloads and bring users back through top-tier performance, cross-platform compatibility and adaptability to their wants.
Game development details
The game has been developed in the Unity 3D engine, targeting tablets and phones for both iOS and Android. The Universal Render Pipeline is used for optimizing the game and giving developers the flexibility to create custom shaders and improve stability and performance.
Elly & The Ruby Atlas is at its core a 3D application, but nevertheless a mix of 3D and 2D has been used for performance and gameplay. The 2D skeletal animation of the game was built in Spine, a tool which we have used before for our Hooman Invaders tower-defense game.
Game patches & player feedback
It can be daunting to realize that the fanbase you’ve managed to build might eventually drift off. The challenges for mobile games are diverse and even if the content is of high-quality, you need to consider player retention - arguably, one of the most important factors when launching a game.
Encouraged by the interest and great reviews coming from the mobile gaming community, we decided to expand Elly’s universe with a major update, experimenting with game mechanics and offering more hours of content to tackle and conquer.
The player can now earn in-game gold. Doubloons are the reward for competing in the Arena – a new and specific-to-player-island currency that is used to purchase legendary items from the Black Market.
The New Meridian update enables production of the 10 trading commodities via specific buildings, with 3 available upgrades to increase production rates.
Success highlights
Since its official release, Elly and the Ruby Atlas has received great reviews across all app downloading platforms. Players from all around the globe have been playing and showing their appreciation for this Romanian mobile RPG in comment sections and on YouTube.
100.000+ total downloads
Players from 176 different countries/ regions
4.5 Stars + on all platforms
From product design to development & completion.
We guarantee exceptional products.
Scalable, secure and streamlined solutions for your business success
For business inquiries:
hello@assist.ro
Our address:
1 Tipografiei Street 720043, Suceava, Romania
Frequently Asked Questions
