A third-person open-world survival action RPG rooted in Middle Eastern folklore, where players battle the wrath of the Jinn across a vast desert

Project Overview

Mystic is an AA open-world survival action RPG project rooted in Middle Eastern folklore, where players fight to endure against the wrath of the Jinn. Set in a vast desert landscape, the game blends exploration, survival mechanics, evasion and dynamic combat with modular crafting systems. Players must hunt, gather, build and increase their spiritual meter while fending off supernatural threats in a hostile but beautiful world.

  • Engine: Unreal Engine 5
  • Tools: Blueprints, C++, Lyra Framework, Motion Matching, Mutables, GAS
  • Perspective: Third-Person, Open-World
  • Platforms: PC
  • Team Size: 17
  • Developed by: Ilham Studios partnered Xbox and Micrsoft
  • Role: Core Gameplay Developer and Combat Designer
  • Duration: 52 Weeks

Gameplay

Responsibilities

  • Designed and implemented core combat systems, including staff fighting, bow mechanics, throwables, and lock-on targeting.
  • Built modular AI behaviors with multiple states (patrol, hunting, aggression, retreat).
  • Integrated enemy states (alertness, combat engagement, death behaviors).
  • Balanced combat flow & player responsiveness through motion matching and animation warping.
  • Contributed to weapon modularity using mutables ensuring scalable design for future weapon classes.
  • Collaborated closely with a large multi-disciplinary team, aligning gameplay systems with narrative & art.
  • Managed all UI elements, including in-game HUD , different In-Game menus.

Game Narrative

Hazala, a survivor of an old thriving desert village, awakens to ruins left in the wake of an ancient entity known as “the Jinn”. Feared as living shadows of chaos, the Jinn destroyed his people and shattered the balance of the world. Alone, Hazala must navigate the vast open desert, uncover long-forgotten lore, evade and seek out remnants of surviving civilizations.

Through survival and exploration, Hazala learns of a path: to unite scattered tribes, construct the legendary Sanctum Bastion, and rally the strength needed to challenge the Jinn themselves. His journey is not only one of endurance but of legacy as a fight to reclaim what was lost and redefine the fate of humankind.

What I Learned

 “As a mere mortal, thrust into the midst of an uninvited battle, what path will you take? The path of spirituality: Where your goal is to reclaim the lost knowledge of the Divine – a path of spiritual perfection? Or the path of technology, where you must rediscover lost earthly knowledge to regain technological superiority” Ultimately, in the epic war of Man vs Jinn, you must purge the Jinn from earth, and reclaim Earth as rightfully yours”