The Duel of Black Hollow: Trial by Steel
In the desolate town of Black Hollow, where ancient stone
walls groaned beneath the weight of centuries, two warriors
stood on the brink of destiny. The air was thick with
anticipation as villagers gathered in the shadows, eyes
glinting with fear and excitement. The names of the
combatants had been whispered for weeks: Gregor, the Iron
Bastion and Corvin, the Dancer of Shadows. Each warrior
carried with them a reputation as fearsome as the town’s
long-forgotten history. Black Hollow had seen many duels,
but none with such stakes. Both men had claimed victories
across the region, but never before had they faced each
other. This was more than a duel of skill; it was a contest
of ideologies, a clash between order and chaos.
Gregor, The Iron Bastion
Gregor was a man molded by war. His armor, forged from the
coldest of iron, gleamed beneath the waning sun, each plate
scarred and pitted by battles long past. His shield was a
massive slab of steel, as thick as a castle wall, while his
sword was a brutal, broad-edged weapon meant to cleave
through both flesh and armor. His fighting style was rooted
in discipline, each movement slow but deliberate. He
believed in overwhelming his opponents with defense, letting
them break themselves against his iron wall before
delivering the finishing blow. Gregor was the embodiment of
order—predictable, relentless, and unyielding. To him, a
fight was a siege, and he was the castle that would never
fall.
Corvin, The Dancer of Shadows
Across from Gregor stood Corvin, a man shrouded in mystery.
In his hand, he wielded a single longsword, its slender
blade honed to a razor's edge. Corvin was fast,
unpredictable, his movements like smoke—here one moment,
gone the next. His fighting style was an enigma to those who
had seen him. He flowed through combat, striking with
precision and speed, avoiding heavy armor and brute
strength. Where Gregor embodied control, Corvin thrived in
the unpredictable. He was an artist of chaos, painting death
in graceful strokes.
The Silent Gathering
The duel was to take place in front of the town's oldest
structure: the weathered church of Black Hollow. Its
towering, stone façade loomed behind the fighters, its
stained glass windows glinting as the dim rays of Moon
filtered through them. The church had long stood as a symbol
of power and judgment—a fitting backdrop for what was to
come. The townsfolk gathered around the church, many of them
,except a handful, hiding inside the houses and the
establishments for they feared a sword slash might cut them
in half if they didn't have a thick enough wall between them
and the warriors.They spoke in hushed tones while peeking
from the windows, unsure of which man would prove the
mightier. The duel had been inevitable, with both warriors
laying claim to the title of Black Hollow’s strongest. Now,
only one could truly wear the crown.
The Challenge
The bell in the church tower tolled, signaling the moment had arrived. Gregor, standing tall and unmoving, addressed his opponent with a voice that rumbled like distant thunder. “Corvin, your tricks and shadows won’t save you today. This fight is not one of speed—it’s one of endurance. And in that, I cannot be beaten.” Corvin smirked, the corner of his mouth twitching with amusement. “You still don’t understand, Gregor. Endurance means nothing when you can’t catch your enemy. I don’t need to stand in your way. I’ll cut you down before you even know I’m there.” The air between them crackled with tension. Neither man moved. It was a contest of wills as much as of weapons.
The Beginning of the End
As the church bell struck again, the duel was set in motion. The fight was inevitable. The outcome was unknown. But in front of the ancient church, beneath the looming sky of Black Hollow, only one truth remained—only one man would walk away as the strongest. The crowd held its breath, for the true battle was about to begin.
Developer's Notes
I have created this game on top of Chris Courses' fighting
game tutorial. Check him out
here.
What I personally added to make this game my own:
Gameplay
- Direction: Characters originally couldn't change direction.
- Attack Combos:Each character has a distinct three attack animation. Characters originally only had one attack.
- Heavy Attacks: Each character has a heavy attack that deals two times the normal damage.
- Blocking: Each character has a blocking ability that is able to protect against normal attacks.
Background and NPCs
- Moving NPCs: Animated a handful of NPCs for the background, beggar, sweeper, flying crows etc.
- Background: Created a Gothic medieval city view.
SoundEffects
- Background Music: Added background music that can be muted and unmuted.
- Walking SFX: Player1 has a metallic walk sound because of the heavy armor, Player2 has a softer walk sound because of the lack of armor.
- Jumping and Landing SFX: Player1 has a metallic jumping and landing sound because of the heavy armor, Player2 has a softer jumping and landing sound because of the lack of armor.
- Attack SFX: Slashing sounds that are changing every swing are added.
- Impact: When a character is successful with their attack an impact sound is played.
- Blocking SFX: Player1 blocks with a shield so one of the three -sword hitting a shield- sounds are played according to the slashing combos. Player2 blocks with a sword so one of the three -sword to sword- sounds are played according to the slashing combos.
- Death SFX: A death SFX is added for each player according to their animations.
Bug Fixes
- Fixed continuous jumping error which results the characters to go out of the canvas bounds.
- Fixed rapid attack error by adding attack cooldown.
- Other minor bug fixes.
Known Bugs
- Death SFX is being played when the winner attacks to the other character after death
- Dead characters can be stuck on air if killed airbone
- Sometimes -especially when the health of the players are close- death animation doesn't work even though death SFX plays