PolyGone — James Liu

01 · Premise

Growth becomes the stealth objective.

Steal polygons to turn a forgotten low-poly character into the protagonist. Progress appears directly in the character’s mesh.

Growth loopStealth pays off in polygons

ApproachGet behind an NPCChoose a quiet route
StealTake polygonsFill the polygon meter
EvolveUpgrade the meshThree stages of visual growth

Find the next target and grow again

Implementation details

PolyGone was created for Ludum Dare 56. The player begins as a forgotten square with a face and an outsized ego: it wants enough visual fidelity to become the protagonist.

Progress comes from approaching NPCs from behind and stealing their polygons. Filling the polygon meter advances the character through three progressively richer meshes and turns visual evolution into the game's central reward.

02 · AI loop

Every movement choice changes how detectable you are.

NPCs combine sight, movement noise, and theft reactions. Running, walking, and crouching create different levels of risk.

NPC detectionMore than one way to get noticed

SightVisible in the coneView angle + unobstructed raycast

SoundMovement noiseRun > walk > crouch detection range

InteractionTheft reactionThe NPC reacts to stolen polygons

DETECTED

ResponsePursue & attackReclaim stolen polygons

These are separate detection paths, not conditions that must all pass together.

PolyGone protagonist stealing polygons while an NPC attacks — A theft turns a quiet approach into a close-range encounter.

PolyGone protagonist and NPC in a low-poly suburban street — The open street makes sight lines and escape routes immediately readable.

Implementation details

NPCs react to theft, vision, and sound. Running creates the largest detection radius, walking reduces it, and crouching enables a quieter approach. Raycasts and view-angle checks keep line-of-sight readable while still allowing the player to outmaneuver enemies.

Sight combines field-of-view and unobstructed raycast checks
Sound range responds to the player's movement state
Detected NPCs pursue, attack, and reclaim stolen polygons

03 · Combat

A narrow parry window turns risk into faster growth.

A well-timed parry converts an enemy attack into a chance to grow faster.

Parry combatRisk → timing → reward

ThreatNPC attacksShort parry window in the animation
TimingParry connectsSuccessful collision during the window
RewardStun + bonus polygonsInterrupt the attack and grow

Implementation details

The player can parry during a short segment of an NPC attack animation. A successful collision interrupts the enemy, stuns it, and awards extra polygons—rewarding players who choose timing and proximity over a purely evasive strategy.