John Swisshelm - Games

Gallery and Overview

Drake's Deception is the third cinematic action adventure in Naughty Dog's award winning series starring treasure hunter Nathan Drake.

"This one's on me!"
Environmental melee weapons grant instant KOs.
This Brute battle kicks off Uncharted 3's signature high-flying setpiece.
Even when grabbed from behind, the player can counter incoming attacks.
The kitchen showcases Sully and Drake's environmental attacks and buddy-film feel.
Finishers feature cinematic camera angles and over-the-top action for satisfying kills.
Cutter's skull attack is homage to Macbeth.
Drake counter-attacks the bartender; scripted to join the fray at just the right time.
A brawl on a pirate ship includes usable mallets, bottles, and wrenches.
Drake finishes a pirate, destroying a crate in the process.
Pub windows make satisfying one-hit kills.
Fighting a hallucinating Cutter, the player has to avoid damage while not hurting Drake's friend in the process.
The destroyed state of the bar had to be carefully re-constructed for each checkpoint save.
Sometimes Drake fights dirty.
The Brute says hello and introduces Drake to Mr. Bar.
It was a challenge creating a suspenseful knife fight without blood and extreme violence.
The bottles, glasses, and ashtrays knocked through this window are driven via scripted physics events.
The thugs on the side of the bar won't attack unless Drake gets too close or finishes off their buddies.

On Uncharted 3, I assumed responsibiltiy of designing and implementing a cinematic melee combat system that captures the chaos of a classic action-adventure brawl.

I scripted hundreds of fight moves in our LISP-based language and worked with stunt men and excellent animators to bring the fisticuffs to life.

I also designed and implemented other sequences, including the game's opening bar fight, exploration in the London underground, boss battles, and a horseback escape.

"For the first time, the words 'fun' and 'useful' describe melee combat." -IGN

"The result of all these little tweaks make melee combat of Uncharted 3 feel off-the-cuff, fluid, and fitting to Nathan's scrappy and clever character." - 1up

"A much tighter feel and a very welcome focus on hand-to-hand combat... Fighting in a giant group of enemies is not overwhelming, as the controls are tight, resulting in much more than just a panicked mashing of the attack button." - Destructoid





		Team:	Role: Melee Combat Design Scenario Design Level Scripting Assisted Mocap Direction
Project Highlights: and Gallery of Awesome Melee during Traversal Gunplay UC3's Intro and Tutorial Equestrian Setpiece Cinematic 1-on-1 Fisticuffs	Gallery and Overview Drake's Deception is the third cinematic action adventure in Naughty Dog's award winning series starring treasure hunter Nathan Drake. "This one's on me!" Environmental melee weapons grant instant KOs. This Brute battle kicks off Uncharted 3's signature high-flying setpiece. Even when grabbed from behind, the player can counter incoming attacks. The kitchen showcases Sully and Drake's environmental attacks and buddy-film feel. Finishers feature cinematic camera angles and over-the-top action for satisfying kills. Cutter's skull attack is homage to Macbeth. Drake counter-attacks the bartender; scripted to join the fray at just the right time. A brawl on a pirate ship includes usable mallets, bottles, and wrenches. Drake finishes a pirate, destroying a crate in the process. Pub windows make satisfying one-hit kills. Fighting a hallucinating Cutter, the player has to avoid damage while not hurting Drake's friend in the process. The destroyed state of the bar had to be carefully re-constructed for each checkpoint save. Sometimes Drake fights dirty. The Brute says hello and introduces Drake to Mr. Bar. It was a challenge creating a suspenseful knife fight without blood and extreme violence. The bottles, glasses, and ashtrays knocked through this window are driven via scripted physics events. The thugs on the side of the bar won't attack unless Drake gets too close or finishes off their buddies. On Uncharted 3, I assumed responsibiltiy of designing and implementing a cinematic melee combat system that captures the chaos of a classic action-adventure brawl. I scripted hundreds of fight moves in our LISP-based language and worked with stunt men and excellent animators to bring the fisticuffs to life. I also designed and implemented other sequences, including the game's opening bar fight, exploration in the London underground, boss battles, and a horseback escape. "For the first time, the words 'fun' and 'useful' describe melee combat." -IGN "The result of all these little tweaks make melee combat of Uncharted 3 feel off-the-cuff, fluid, and fitting to Nathan's scrappy and clever character." - 1up "A much tighter feel and a very welcome focus on hand-to-hand combat... Fighting in a giant group of enemies is not overwhelming, as the controls are tight, resulting in much more than just a panicked mashing of the attack button." - Destructoid
2014 John Bernhelm (formerly Swisshelm) Uncharted 3 images and logos © Naughty Dog, SCEA