Combat Director
Impact Theory · Los Angeles · $15,000–$20,000/month (stated in the posting)
About Level Up Games
Level Up Games, LLC is the game development studio behind Kyzen. Level Up Games is a well funded, fast-paced indie studio nearly 4 years into development on Kyzen, a kid-focused dynamic open world survival crafting game that combines the best of Minecraft and Palworld with the playful energy of a Shonen anime.
Role Overview
We are hiring an experienced Combat Director on a temporary, full-time basis to lead a focused combat overhaul on Kyzen over an approximately three to four month term (longer if the work can be justified) beginning in October or November 2026.
Put simply, our fights are fine, but they’re not fun enough yet. Encounters lack the readability, simplicity, variety, and the opportunity for mastery that make combat worth engaging with for anyone - especially kids. You will diagnose why, define a coherent attack-type framework for the game, and give every mob in the roster a distinct, readable attack pattern that over-indexes on fun.
This is a senior, hands-on role. At Level Up Games, everyone is a doer. While there is a small team to manage, the core of the role will be actual combat design work. You will set direction, produce combat encounters from start to finish by yourself, and partner closely with our engineering team to establish a combat style that is cohesive, fun, and worthy of mastering.
You will be expected to work with AI in any way that helps advance the project and delight players. If you’re philosophically opposed to AI, this is not the right opportunity for you. We believe AI is a powerful tool that in the right hands can radically accelerate human creativity.
Key Responsibilities
Combat Diagnosis, Direction, and Execution
- Audit Kyzen's current combat and deliver a clear, prioritized diagnosis of why encounters are not yet fun enough — covering readability, feedback, pacing, risk and reward, simplicity, and player agency.
- Establish the combat design pillars for the title and the standards every encounter will be held to.
- Prioritize the fix list against a three to four month window, being explicit about what is in scope and what is not.
- Living in UE5’s animation systems: Anim Montages, Anim Notifies (hit frames, cancel windows, VFX/SFX triggers), Blend Spaces, Animation Blueprints, root motion tuning
- Retiming/trimming clips, adjusting play rates, splitting animations into startup/active/recovery, adding hit-stop and camera shake
- Prototyping attacks with placeholder animations and defining the spec our animators with then polish
- Own the “feel” — hitboxes, input buffering, cancel timing, enemy telegraphs, etc.
Attack Type Framework
- Define the game's taxonomy of attack types — the distinct categories of threat the player must learn to read and counter.
- Specify the design rules for each type: telegraph and wind-up windows, active and recovery timing, counterplay options, and the tells that make it readable.
- Ensure the framework is coherent as a system, so players build transferable skills rather than memorizing individual fights, and is simple enough for kids to master.
Mob Attack Patterns
- Give each mob in the roster a distinct attack pattern composed from the defined attack types, with a clear identity and role in encounters.
- Alter existing mob behavior where needed: engagement range, aggression and cooldown rhythm, attack type, approach and reposition logic, etc.
- Design fights for different mob combinations, so groups create interesting pressure rather than stacking the same threat.
Tuning and Iteration
- Own combat tuning and iterate against playtest feedback.
- Build, test, and tune directly in-engine rather than specifying from a document and handing off.
Documentation and Handoff
- Deliver the attack-type framework, per-mob specifications, and tuning rationale in written form so the work is maintainable after the term ends.
- Conduct a structured handoff session with the internal team covering completed work, open items, and recommended next steps.
Key Deliverables
- Combat audit and prioritized improvement plan
- Documented attack-type framework with design rules per type
- Per-mob attack pattern specifications across the full roster
- Designed, implemented, and tuned combat changes, playable in engine
- Final handoff package and session
Requirements
Must-Have Experience
- 7+ years of professional game design experience, including 3+ years owning combat systems or enemy design.
- At least one shipped title where combat was a core pillar of your role, and you held meaningful responsibility for how it played.
- Demonstrated experience designing enemy attack patterns and behavior, with a working command of telegraph design, frame timing, and counterplay.
- Deep, current Unreal Engine 5 experience — Blueprints, behavior trees, animation blueprints, gameplay ability systems, etc.
- Ability to prototype, implement, and tune in engine directly rather than only specifying on paper.
- Strong grasp of what makes combat feel good at the frame level, and the vocabulary to communicate it to engineers and animators.
- Ability to diagnose a combat system quickly and make decisive calls about what to fix first.
- Availability to commit to the full duration of the temporary assignment.
- Ability to work on-site, Monday through Friday, at our West Hollywood location.
Physical Requirements
- Prolonged periods working at a desk, using a computer, and reviewing content on screens.
- Ability to maintain concentration and attention to detail for extended periods.
Benefits
Compensation & Benefits
- Salaried at $15,000 - $20,000 USD per month for the duration of the assignment
- Competitive medical, dental, and vision insurance plans.
- Life insurance and 401(k) retirement plan.
- Flexible PTO policy.
Equal Employment Opportunity Statement
Impact Theory is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to fostering an inclusive and diverse workplace. We do not discriminate based on race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, gender identity, and sexual orientation), national origin, age, disability, genetic information, marital status, veteran status, or any other protected characteristic under applicable laws. All employment decisions are based on qualifications, merit, and business needs.
California Compliance Notice
As required by California law, Impact Theory provides reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities.
Note: This job description is intended to outline the general nature and level of work performed in this role. Responsibilities, duties, and activities may evolve over time at the company’s discretion.