ABOUT ME

Hello, my name is Michael Desena, a Game programmer from New York City. My true love for game development began in high school when I recreated Street Fighter 2 from scratch in MIT's Scratch, a Visual Programming Language, as a school project for fun. This project helped me realize I loved solving problems and creating fun games! When applying for Universities, I became interested in the Java Game Programming track at Adelphi, so I applied. During my time at Adelphi, I learned vital skills in software engineering, which immediately motivated me to personally expand my knowledge of game development addition to my studies. Ever since, I've attended every possible Annual Research Conference held at my University, and I consistently challenged myself to learn new things and expand my knowledge in game development.

As a game programmer, I thrive both in independent work and in collaboration with multidisciplinary teams to create unique, high-quality projects. I am experienced with industry-standard tools such as Unity, Unreal Engine, and Blender, and I am eager to continue expanding my technical skillset. While I enjoy all aspects of game development, my specialization lies in gameplay programming for characters and game systems, which I view as the core of player immersion and interaction. Whether through movement, combat, dialogue, or unique systems, well-designed characters bring a game world to life. Looking ahead, I aspire to grow into a Technical Artist role with a focus on character-related effects and shaders, contributing across the full character pipeline to support and elevate any team.

Michael Desena's Portfolio

Technical Skills

  • C#

  • Java

  • Eclipse IDE

  • Visual Studio

  • Rider IDE

  • Adobe Suite

  • Google Suite

  • Unity 3D

  • Unity 2D

  • Unreal Engine 5

  • Blender

  • GitHub

  • Visual Scripting

Projects

Into The Depths

Into the Depths is a third-person fantasy, souls-like game developed for Adelphi University’s Annual Research Conference in 2022. The project features combat inspired by the Dark Souls series, allowing players to dual-wield weapons and fuse them into more powerful variants. In the game, there is a procedurally generated dungeon system ensures that each playthrough offers a unique experience, with layouts that change every time the player enters.

Details:

  • Souls-Borne Combat.

  • Fusion Weapon System.

  • Low Poly Fantasy Art.

  • Procedural Dungeon.

  • KBM and Controller Support.

  • Two member project.

Voted Best Capstone Project of 2022 Computer Science Undergraduate Class:

Video Demo:

GitHub Link:

Adelphi Annual Research Conference 2022

Space Fighter

This space game takes inspiration from classic retro space shooter games. The player's goal is to survive intense battles against alien fleets, dodging their laser fire while unleashing a series of your own devastating attacks, with a fully implemented retro soundtrack for increased nostalgia. Utilizing a wave-based system for dynamic difficulty scaling and unique enemies.

Personal Project 2024

Details:

  • Fully Retro space shooter themed.

  • Pixel 2D Art.

  • Dynamic audio implementation.

  • Wave-based system.

  • Post Processing

  • Custom Shaders.

Video Demo:

GitHub Link:

Sentence Craft

Sentence Craft is an educational word-based game designed to support younger students and English language learners in developing proper sentence syntax. Through interactive levels that introduce progressively varied sentence structures, players construct sentences in an engaging, accessible format that combines learning with play.

Personal Project 2023

Details:

  • Unity

  • Text-Based.

  • Mobile Friendly.

  • Educational.

  • Modular.

Video Demo:

GitHub Link:

Cleansed is an HD-2D Metroidvania-style game developed in Unity. Players begin with a limited toolset to explore and combat enemies, gradually unlocking new abilities that enable access to additional areas and more challenging encounters. The project was designed to integrate 2D and 3D elements into a cohesive, visually distinctive experience. Cleansed was showcased at Adelphi University's Annual Research Conference in April 2021, held virtually during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Cleansed

Adelphi Annual Research Conference 2021

Details:

  • 2D and 3D elements.

  • Custom/Original Composition.

  • Custom Level Design.

  • Astar Pathfinding AI.

Video Demo:

GitHub Link:

Mini Projects

Rolling Ball is an exciting game that challenges your skill and agility. As the player, your main objective is to control and navigate a ball through various obstacles and mazes. Each stage has an end goal that the player must reach to progress, with each harder than the last.

Details:

  • Lightweight Gameplay.

  • One-Day Development Time.

  • Custom Lighting.

  • Custom Shaders.

Ball Roller

Personal Project 2023

In Dice Damager, players wield dice as powerful projectiles in mass battles. Each dice represents a different type of attack, and players must use utilize their dice to damage, burn, and slow down enemies. This game was created within 48 hours during the Game Maker's Tool Kit Game Jam.

Dice Damager

GMTK Game Jam 2022

Video Demo:

GitHub Link:

Details:

  • Lightweight Gameplay.

  • Two-Day Development Time.

  • Particle System.

  • Asset Implementation.

  • Three member Project

Upcoming Projects

a giraffe standing in the middle of a field
a giraffe standing in the middle of a field
Project: Build

Project Build TEXT

Personal Project:

Details:
Project: Blade

Project Blade TEXT

Personal Project:

Details:
Light Fighter

Light Fighter is a 2D platforming game where the player fighters various enemies in a jungle-like environment. Originally created in two weeks within Construct 2, the game was recreated in Unity with updated UI/UX, animations, AI, visual effects, mechanics, and level design.

Details:

  • Pixel 2D Art.

  • Platformer.

  • Platform-Based Enemy AI.

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Video Demo:

GitHub Link:

Personal Project:

a large leopard walking through a lush green field
a large leopard walking through a lush green field

Lone Wander is a 2D top-down pixelated dungeon game made in Unity. The player goes around a dungeon collecting gold and fighting enemies. This is my first project and was created in one month. Featured in person for Adelphi's Annual Research Conference 2019.

Lone Wander
Details:

  • Pixel 2D Art.

  • Custom Camera Controller.

  • Top Down dungeon Crawler.

Adelphi Annual Research Conference 2019

First Project

About Me

I am a software engineer with a strong focus on game development and several years of experience creating both academic and personal projects. My work reflects a balance of technical knowledge and creative design, showcased throughout this portfolio. I am pursuing a career as a Technical Artist, where I aim to connect and refine art assets within gameplay systems to deliver engaging and visually distinctive player experiences. If my work aligns with your vision, I would be glad to connect and discuss potential opportunities.

person using laptops
person using laptops

Let's Connect

Have a project in mind or just want to connect? I’m always open to discussing new opportunities, collaborations, or sharing ideas. Please fill out the form below, and I’ll get back to you as soon as possible.

Michael.Desena.Dev@Gmail.com