🎮 Build your own 2.5D hack-n-slash platformer with a solid starting point!
Made with Unreal Engine 5 and the PaperZD Plugin, this template combines classic platforming like Mario with light hack-n-slash combat systems.
🗺️ Demo Map Added
Explore a new demo map that shows off all current features and systems.
📦 Combined Content
All previous updates are now merged into 1.3.
- Download the latest release on the right hand side.
- Select "Download ZIP".
- Unzip it to your Unreal Projects folder (or wherever you prefer).
- Open the project in Unreal Engine 5, and you're good to go!
- Manage stats like health, defense, and attack.
- 💥 Damage Formula:
Total Damage = Base Damage × (Attack ÷ (Attack + Defense)) - Makes it easy to create enemies with different strengths.
- Basic conversations with NPCs (and possibly bosses later).
- Driven by DataTables — easy to update!
- Built with a clean custom struct for managing text.
- Gives feedback when characters or objects take damage.
- Flicker time can be customized for each object/enemy.
- Built using a simple float-based timer.
- Uses line traces instead of collision boxes for hits.
- Clean and fast for 2D gameplay.
- You can add attacks without adjusting every frame of the animation.
- Tree-based combo attacks, like:
L > L > L > L - Easy to extend using the Animation Blueprint (AnimBP).
- Built on a tutorial base, but heavily expanded with comments to help you understand and change it.
- Supports choices in conversations.
- Leaving NPCs mid-dialogue isn’t implemented yet — but it’s planned!
- Works by dragging and dropping conversations using DataTables into NPC Blueprints.
A special folder for base objects that work with PaperZD.
- Includes a Damage Interface (
BPI_Damageable) so anything can take damage consistently. - 2D Base Class:
- Uses Flipbooks.
- Handles damage and self-destruction on overlap.
- 3D Base Class (WIP):
- Supports Skeletal and Static Meshes.
- Still in development to expand animation features.
Two example enemy types included, with more to come:
- Has health and reacts to damage.
- Doesn’t attack yet, but dies with a flicker.
- 🧠 Planned Improvements:
- Basic AI (walk, detect edges, chase player)
- Uses Pawn Sensing to detect players.
- Spawns bullets when it sees you.
- Rotates on X and Y (will be limited to vertical-only soon).
Includes 3 basic Widget Blueprints:
- 🪦 Death / Respawn Screen
- 🏠 Main Menu
- 🎯 Player HUD
Simple layouts that can be replaced with your own designs!
- Skeleton AI that can chase and attack
- More polish to dialogue (like exit options)
- Additional example enemies and test maps
- Visual effects and audio for combat hits
While I am familiar with UE5, I am learning through YouTube, itch.io, and trial and error.
This was my first time using Git version control — if the repo structure seems messy, feel free to send feedback!
💡 This template is totally free — use it, break it, build on it, make it your own!
If you make something cool with it, I’d love to see it.
Thanks for checking it out!