Why I Made a Sci-Fi Parkour Shooter in Unity
Why I Made a Sci-Fi Parkour Shooter in Unity
Parkour meets plasma rifles. Wall-running meets warzones. The idea for my indie sci-fi parkour shooter project—Velocity—was born from a single question: "What if the freedom of movement in Mirror’s Edge collided with the raw gunplay of Titanfall or Ghostrunner?"
As a solo game developer, I’ve always been fascinated by the tension between control and chaos—how smooth mechanics can elevate even small prototypes. That’s what sparked the idea to create a fast-paced, browser-based FPS with parkour mechanics using Unity.
🎮 Inspiration Behind the Game
Games like Mirror’s Edge taught me the power of fluidity. You feel invincible when every jump, climb, and slide connects like choreography. Add a touch of sci-fi, and that same mobility opens up entirely new combat and level design possibilities.
Other influences include:
- Ghostrunner – For its cyberpunk visuals and twitch reflex combat.
- Titanfall 2 – A gold standard for movement-based FPS gameplay.
- Superhot – For minimalism that enhances action, not distracts from it.
I didn’t want to make just another shooter. I wanted players to feel like they were dancing through danger.
🛠️ How It’s Built – Under the Hood
The entire prototype is built in Unity, using C# and the new Input System. I’ve used low-poly assets from the Unity Asset Store to keep visuals stylized and lightweight. The movement system was coded by me from scratch, optimized for keyboard and mouse.
Features include:
- Wall-running with stamina constraints
- Sliding and vaulting mechanics
- Double jumps and mid-air aim assist
- Dynamic enemy spawn and early AI behavior
- Slow-motion toggle (inspired by Superhot)
🚧 Design Challenges
Building a parkour shooter meant solving problems that pure shooters don’t face. For example, level design isn’t just flat corridors—it’s vertical. I had to:
- Script camera smoothing for vertical wall runs
- Create input buffers for chaining moves without glitches
- Design arenas that reward flow-state gameplay
Even small gaps in polish broke the immersion, so much of my early work was just tuning physics and controls until it “felt right.”
🌐 Web Build & Playable Prototype
The project is browser-based, playable directly via WebGL exports from Unity. There’s no installation required—just open the link and go.
It’s currently live on Itch.io, where players can try the latest version and leave feedback.
📦 Chapters and Progress
Right now, Chapter 1 and 2 are complete, featuring tutorial levels, parkour arenas, and basic shooting. I’m actively working on Chapter 3, which introduces:
- FPS shooting with new weapon classes
- Enemy drones and humanoid AI
- Checkpoint save/load system
Each chapter is structured like an action puzzle, rewarding players who master speed and movement.
🎯 Why Browser-Based?
I chose WebGL because I wanted something accessible. A lot of indie games get lost behind install buttons. With Velocity, you just click and play. No download. No waiting.
It also makes sharing progress super easy—perfect for Reddit, Discord, and dev communities. I’ve already gotten some great early feedback from r/IndieDev and r/gamedev.
💡 What’s Next?
My roadmap includes:
- Custom parkour challenges (speedrun mode)
- Story integration via voice logs
- More environmental interactivity—lasers, moving platforms, traps
- Boss-style arena combat
🚀 Final Thoughts
Velocity is more than a shooter—it’s an experiment in how movement shapes emotion. It’s also a tribute to games that broke the mold and made players feel weightless, fast, and empowered.
If you’ve ever wanted to sprint across rooftops with a railgun in hand, I hope you’ll check it out.
— Krishnamohan Yagneswaran