Femme Fatale — Game case study

Overview

Femme Fatale is an indie first-person noir game in development in Unity. It turns graphic-novel artwork into a playable Art Deco city, where illustrated characters move through 3D streets of heavy outlines and painted stone. The first level builds a pursuit into street encounters: close combat with fists, a knife, and a pistol, guards who respond to sight and gunfire, and cover that shapes each approach.

**Gameplay recording**A playthrough of the first level. With audio.

What I did

Art direction: Carried the graphic-novel style of the story panels into the game’s menus, streets, and characters.
Interface design: Designed the menus and heads-up display (HUD) with brass frames, illustrated icons, and paper textures, backed by a shared palette, typeface, and sprite states.
Level design: Planned the first level’s encounters and placed cover so routes stay open and crouching has a purpose.
Environments: Built the streets, The Fitcher entrance, and a vintage car in 3D, with painted facades and warm, readable lighting.
Animation: Animated the femme fatale, enemies, and civilians frame by frame, from weapon handling to a seven-drawing jab.
Development: Built the playable prototype in Unity, from combat and guard reactions to pacing and dialogue.

Visual storytelling

Illustrated story panels set up the opening chapter, from a meeting at The Fitcher to a pursuit into the city.

A man in a fedora leans toward the femme fatale at The Fitcher bar, with jazz musicians performing behind them — Story artworkA meeting at The Fitcher opens the pursuit.

The main character and the femme fatale walk through an amber-lit city street — Story artworkThe main character heads into the city.

The woman turns from the bar in a crowded, warmly lit jazz club — Story artworkA glance across the room sets up the chase.

Interface design

Brass frames, illustrated icons, and paper textures carry the game’s visual language into its menus and HUD.

Menus

The main and pause menus set decorative gold frames over an illustrated night street.

Main menu with the Femme Fatale title, New Game, Settings, Credits, and Quit over an illustrated night street — Main menu

Pause menu with Resume, Settings, and Exit to Main Menu in decorative gold frames — Pause menu

Gameplay HUD

The HUD keeps the objective, position, health, stamina, and weapon state in view, leaving the center clear for aiming and reading the street.

In-game screenshot showing the Follow the car objective, circular minimap, health and stamina bars, equipped pistol, weapon selection, and ammunition — The Follow the car objective, with the pistol equipped

HUD hierarchy

A wireframe gives each corner of the first-person view one job: objective, minimap, health, and weapons. Drag the divider to compare it with the finished HUD in play.

The finished HUD in play: objective card, minimap, health, and the weapon column around a first-person view of the street

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Design system

A shared palette, a display typeface, and paired interface sprites connect the story artwork with the game interface, and a pickup animation shows those sprites in motion.

Color palette

Midnight blue#101B20

Ink#40372C

Aged brass#927044

Amber#D0AD72

Paper#E0D5B9

Typography

IM Fell English

Interface states

Weapon pickup

When the pistol is collected, the whole weapon column slides up one row in a single 0.65-second move: the fists and knife rise, and the pistol slot with its ammunition counter rises into the row beneath them while fading in.

RECONSTRUCTED FROM THE HUD SCRIPT / ¼ SPEED

0.00 sof 0.65 s

0 ms

ONE CONTINUOUS TRANSITION

Picking up the pistol equips it and lifts the weapon column one row over 0.65 seconds. The pistol and ammo counter fade in during the first 0.30 seconds, while the fists dim. Both changes start together.

Column rises one rowPistol and counter fade in

Gameplay design

The first level turns a linear pursuit into street encounters, tight cover, and quieter passages.

Encounter design

Three systems shape each street encounter.

Close combat

Fists, knife, and a lootable pistol have distinct frame-based actions. Hit reactions and comic impact marks connect each attack to the world.

A reactive street

Guards respond to sight, nearby combat, and gunfire. Civilians react to danger, flee, and recover as encounters unfold.

Pressure & pacing

Finite ammunition, stamina, and cover shape the pursuit. Dialogue follows encounter progress, leading into a framed closing shot.

Weapon handling

Each weapon has its own illustrated animation as the player switches between fists, knife, and pistol.

Level decisions

Cover placement keeps a route open and gives crouching a purpose.

Cover with a way through

Development capture of crates against the right alley wall and a clear passage to their left

Turn the crates outward so their width faces down the alley.
Keep the left side open so a route stays clear past the stack.

Give crouching a purpose

Development capture from the narrow alley toward a food truck and stacked supplies screening the intersection

Move the truck into the sightline to screen a crouched approach.
Keep crates and sacks on the far side as cover around the exit.

Environment design

Heavy outlines, painted surfaces, warm brass, and rain-darkened stone carry the story artwork into the level.

The Fitcher entrance

Warm bulbs draw attention to the threshold, giving the opening street a recognizable landmark. The prototype lifts ground and facade shadows so the route stays readable without losing the noir mood.

Construction study

Painted facades establish the building’s identity, while the dimensional entrance gives it depth.

Exploded illustration: a supporting building volume, painted facade panels, and a dimensional entrance

Surface & atmosphere

Painted materials give the street its character, while a neutral override exposes the building volumes beneath them.

The same camera with neutral materials exposing the building volumes

The street with illustrated facades and amber windows

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Unity scene captureThe neutral view is a material override of the current scene.

Vintage car

Long fenders, deep burgundy paint, and brass details carry the city’s Art Deco language into its vehicles.

Front view of a vintage burgundy Art Deco car with black fenders, round headlights, and brass trim

Character design

Illustrated sprites give the femme fatale, enemies, and civilians distinct silhouettes inside the 3D streets.

The femme fatale

The femme fatale holds her silhouette from every angle, with costume and jewelry details and a color palette of her own.

Femme fatale character turnaround showing front, right, back, and left views, head close-ups, costume and jewelry details, a color palette, and silhouette studies

Enemies & civilians

Frame-based enemy animation brings patrols, attacks, and reactions into the streets. Civilians add everyday life to the city and respond when danger arrives.

Illustrated masked enemy in a fedora and suit, holding a close-combat stance

A frightened civilian recoils with her hands raised, wearing a cream blouse and dark green skirt

Enemy jab

Seven source drawings make one jab: a three-drawing windup, contact at 0.18 seconds, and recovery by 0.47 seconds.

CONTACT04/ 070.18 s

Seven source drawings · Each pose holds¼ speed · 0.47 s source clip