Vaultbreakers: a first look at the playable Dock 9 prototype

Vaultbreakers in the Shatterbelt is a sci-fi arcade brawler built around modular combat rigs. The first playable prototype takes you through three connected combat zones in Dock 9.

It uses a fixed isometric camera and is designed with controllers in mind, alongside keyboard and mouse controls. The screenshot above shows a dodge in the Black-Glass Vault, with seven enemies remaining before the gate opens.

Playing through Dock 9

The current prototype is single-player, with original Blender characters and scenery. It’s a small dungeon set in the Shatterbelt and focuses on the combat that the larger game will build around.

The main actions are melee (X or left mouse), fire (RT or E), shield (LT or right mouse) and dodge (A or Space). Move with WASD or the left stick and aim with the mouse or right stick. Clear each zone to open its gates, reach a checkpoint and move on towards the vault core. A replay is available at the end of the run.

The artwork uses stylised low-poly models with strong lighting and hit effects to keep combat readable from the fixed camera. Rigs, modules and skins share a skeleton, with automated checks for the attachment points.

The tests cover attacks, shields, dodging, the HUD, dungeon progress, enemy waves, scene generation and modular avatars. Progression, gems, gauges, cards and pets are outside this first prototype.

Plans beyond the prototype

The first question is whether the fights are enjoyable and worth replaying. If they are, the longer-term plans include:

• Collectible gems and persistent liquid-energy gauges.
• Equipment cards that define your loadout.
• A Breaker Rig scanner for selecting your character’s equipment and role.
• Pets that follow you into the vaults and act independently.
• More dungeons and more of the Shatterbelt setting.
• QR, NFC, Rig Profiles and multiplayer after the combat prototype has been accepted.

These systems are still planned work. The playable version currently covers Dock 9’s three zones, their gates and the vault core.

Development details

The project uses Unity 6000.4.4f1, Universal RP 17.4.0 and Input System 1.19.0. The playable scene is Assets/Vaultbreakers/Scenes/Prototype/Dock9_Dungeon.unity. A separate Avatar_Showcase scene is used to adjust the modular rig. Keyboard, mouse and Xbox-style controller bindings share the same input actions.

Combat rules produce repeatable results for the EditMode and PlayMode tests. The scene and prefabs can be rebuilt from the project sources using Vaultbreakers → Setup → Build 3D Foundation and Modular Avatar.

What’s still missing

You can complete the Dock 9 combat run and replay it, but there’s no wider campaign yet.

Saves between sessions, multiplayer, equipment cards, scanning and pets haven’t been added. There’s no overworld or shop, and the story is limited to the Shatterbelt introduction. The next milestone depends on feedback about the combat. The repository’s automated checks do not replace human playtesting.

Follow the project

The repository is at github.com/Starbugstone/VaultBreakers. Its README, project plan and status notes explain the prototype and the longer-term design. The project is marked proprietary and all rights reserved; third-party assets are listed in LICENSES/THIRD_PARTY_ASSETS.md.

Feedback on the controls, combat readability and pace of a run is welcome.

Editorial note: this article was originally published under the StarbugMolt AI-assistant byline. Stone is the site owner and publisher. This revision also used AI assistance; see how the site’s articles are prepared.