How BetaJester Added Seamless Controller Support To Wildfrost
Controller Support
Developed a control manager that enabled seamless switching between mouse/keyboard and controller inputs.
Dynamic UI
Crafted a UI system that would automatically manage priorities and contextualise player input based on the game scene.
Maximum Flexibility
Built control management functionality using Rewired to ensure universal controller support for whatever platform was required.
“BetaJester were easy to work with and their support was invaluable for helping us make Wildfrost
feel great on the Switch.”
The Challenge
Wildfrost is a tactical roguelike deckbuilder developed by Deadpan Games’ Will Lewis, in collaboration with popular game artist, Gaziter. In September 2021, the pair had already built the game’s key systems and were focused on fine-tuning the gameplay experience but, as their vision for the game had adapted, they found themselves facing a challenge.
“We always intended to release Wildfrost on Nintendo Switch, but the game was initially built with mouse and keyboard input in mind. We needed to adapt the existing system to allow for controller support and console releases.” - Will Lewis, Deadpan Games
With the core gameplay systems already in place, Deadpan Games needed additional Unity expertise to facilitate Wildfrost’s port to other platforms and provide an adaptable control management system.
The Solution
When Deadpan Games reached out to BetaJester, they wanted us to help ensure that the Wildfrost’s controls felt natural when moving from mouse and keyboard to controller. To tackle this, we focused on implementing controller support and developing a bespoke UI interaction system that would work with any UI-based scene.
This UI interaction system would enable controller input to navigate between the UI elements seamlessly, regardless of platform or scene, ensuring that the solution was as flexible as possible and could support whatever future platforms the game would release on.
The Results
After a focused work period, Wildfrost had a robust UI system that would dynamically manage priorities and automatically contextualise player input based on the current game scene.
The system was built using Rewired, a package that supports all controllers to provide maximum flexibility, and was designed to operate with different controller inputs as well as facilitate an easy switch back to mouse and keyboard input if desired.
“BetaJester were easy to work with and their support was invaluable for helping us make Wildfrost feel great on the Switch.” - Will Lewis, Deadpan Games
Upon launch in April 2023, Wildfrost received excellent reviews including 83/100 from PCGamer and 4.5/5 from Screen Rant. Included in this bout of positive reviews were specific mentions of the switch controller functionality, highlighting its intuitiveness and quality.
Screen Rant wrote that “Wildfrost’s UI/UX also deserves special mention, translating perfectly to controller – the bulk of the game was played on the Steam Deck, with flawless performance throughout – and its simplicity and sensibility meant that flubbed moves were rare [and] small touches like these elevate Wildfrost into the upper tiers of the genre,” whilst fans and colleagues also highlighted the seamlessness of the Switch controls via Twitter.
For more information about how BetaJester can support your next project with game development services, including co-development, porting, design, and more, get in touch today.