Prison Break is a 2D Co-op Rogue-lite Hack-n-Slash Dungeon Crawler made in Unity for a Senior Final Capstone project. Play as one of two prisoners attempting to break out of a cyberpunk-themed prison set on an asteroid in space.
Because the main focus and theme of the game circled around the Cyberpunk aesthetic on top of a fast-paced, high-energy prison escape, Eli took inspiration from synthwave, techno, and EDM, utilizing electronic synths and digital instruments to formulate an electrifying and energizing sound on top of fast-paced and beat-heavy drums.
You can listen to the whole game OST here:
Prison Break has you fighting through floors of robotic security guards during your escape, and between each floor you'll either be met with the Deputy or a Warden, the bosses of the game. These characters run the prison with a heavy hand and are dead set on ensuring prisoners like you are kept in line.
To accentuate the hardcore nature of these bosses, Eli opted to use a more heavily distorted synth, mimicking that of an overdriven electric guitar, and pairing it with more emphasized drums in comparison to the level themes. The Warden theme reflects the character of the three wardens, being confrontational, stabby, and powerful, almost like the steady march of a formidable foe. The Deputy's theme, on the other hand, is less heavy but still poses a boastful challenge. Still using a low, bassy, distorted synth later paired with a higher-pitched accompanying instrument, it is more exciting and upfront while still being foreboding, reflecting The Deputy's relationship with the Wardens and his attitude towards you, the two prisoners he keeps encountering.
Being the two themes that received the most workshopping, these two songs saw the most iteration and experimentation (pun unintended). The Loam Fields went from being slower and more atmospheric (to accentuate the spacy grassy fields of the asteroid) to being the fast-paced version it is now, taking inspiration from breakcore on top of calming synths. The Experimentation Station was the opposite, going from a hectic, chaotic drum groove to something more mysterious, steady, and uneasy, utilizing slight detuning and layering to better encapsulate the shady practices of the ward.
The Loam Fields became more energetic, spurring, and almost uplifting as the players have finally escaped the main section of the prison and are heading onwards, just to be met with the unsightly horrors of the Experimentation Station.
Given the limitations that came with hand-drawn animations and sprites, it was up to Eli to fill in the gaps in information that could not be shown visually and/or use sound to accentuate that which was shown on screen. Using a combination of foley recording/editing and digital synths, Eli created sounds for player feedback, enemy telegraphs, boss attacks, and so much more.
GADIG is a Student-run Organization registered at George Mason University with the sole and simple goal of making a game every semester. Made up of four teams (Design, Art, Programming, and Sound), each led by a Director, GADIG provided a more unique experience not offered by other Game Design courses, replicating that of a large AAA studio environment.
GADIG Website Slime Towers is a 2D True Top-Down Tower Defense Cave Exploration game where the player must explore crystal caves full of friendly slimes and bountiful resources that the player can use to build defensive towers and turrets used to protect their drill as they attempt to dig their way out of there.
Leading Sound Team and pitching the game as Game Director, Eli helped establish a mood and tone of the caves, that being ambient, atmospheric, and mysterious, taking inspiration from games such as Minecraft, Stardew Valley, and Hollow Knight.
Slime Towers featured quirky characters who would help you on your escape attempt, one of them being your trusty yet sassy Drill AI companion. While other members worked on SFX relating to the Towers, Enemies, and Slimes, Eli made some basic ambient SFX that would play in between musical tracks to better establish the setting of the crystal caves.
Eli had the honor of collaborating with other talented and passionate Sound Designers and Music Makers during his time in GADIG, contributing whole music tracks, foley recording assets, audio editing, and much more.
During his time in University, Eli worked on many different projects with many other student game designers.
Patriot Pass is a head-to-head fast paced arcade game where players control George Mason University characters in a unique frisbee tournament who have special abilities. Join the tournament as, Gary M. Unger, an ex-frisbee player now turned campus police who is making a comeback in the frisbee scene, Shipstar, a special robot that was accustomed to delivering food for students now modded out to compete in the tournament, Professor D. fan favorite of GMU students and beloved teacher Professor D. is here to remind students who taught them to play frisbee, or as Sarah, a smart student with the skills to build a robot to help her in the competition.
While Elijah was mainly responsible for writing the music for the game, taking inspiration from games such as Windjammers, Lethal League, and Mario Kart, he also contributed with voice acting and vocal editing, as well as a few extra SFX.
You can also listen to the tracks on SoundCloud.
You can play the game for yourself on Itch.io.
As part of the final for the AR/VR course, students were tasked with creating a VR game in Unity. Eli wastasked with not only contributing Audio to the project but also implementing the audio into 3D space, having dynamic and diegetic audio cues and information change based off the internal environment of the Drilling Vessel.
Gambler’s Vice is a dice-rolling auto-battler where players collect Dice Dudes and cards to fight against other gamblers. Use your glass-trapped Dice Dudes to fight your battles for you! You better hope you roll better than they do, or you’ll lose your chance at the winner’s pot!
Made during the GMTK Game Jam 2022
Play the game for yourself on Itch.io.