Jumper is a 3D collectathon platformer with a focus on movement and exploration. This game was created for a college class in 2025. This was a solo project developed over 8 weeks.
The game’s primary goal is to reach the top of the tower and defeat the boss. Along the way players can collect 100 coins and 5 hidden red coins, both of which are optional. I used the “mario” philosophy for level design, introducing each new gameplay element in a safe environment before iterating on it later in the level.
This project was my first time programming enemy AI, which was much more challenging than I expected. Having previously worked with state driven player controllers, I figured I wouldn’t have much trouble with AI behavior trees. While I didn’t have any issue with structuring the behavior trees the individual behaviors themselves were far more challenging. I also had to get familiar with Unreal’s landscape system and sculpting, rigging, and animating in Blender. It took multiple attempts until I was satisfied with the player character model.
Programming was done in Unreal Blueprints, models and animations were done in Maya and Blender, and textures were done in Photoshop.
Benjamin Nelson | Gameplay Mechanics & Programming 