Last Signal · Ivan Jarvis
Interactive · Playground

LastSignal

A tower defense game where the tower talks back.

She sits at the centre of the screen and blasts glitches out of her tattooed palms. She watches every threat, reacts to every hit and has an opinion about your upgrades.

Role
Concept, character rig,
game design, UI
Type
Browser game,
phone and desktop
Year
2026
Play herTap Play on her screen. Gear her up (look and power) from the menu or between waves.
Live · playable

Her spec sheet

148art layers in her rig
190+lines across 21 moments
89pieces across 15 slots
8colourways for hair, outfit and eyewear
8ultimates, each one levels up

01 · Customize her

Glitch her into someone new

This is the generator she's built from. Hit Smash for a new look, or poke her face if you dare. Every backdrop is one of her ultimates in the game.

Personality 21 reactions · 190+ lines

Every moment in a run gets a face and a line. Brows, lids and mouth crossfade, her head kicks on a springy neck, and her pupils follow the nearest glitch. Tap a face.

  • Rest in pixels.
    Her kill face
    Kill
  • Glitch harder.
    Her streak face
    Streak
  • I'm fine. I'm FINE.
    Her low health face
    Low health
  • Ew. Horns. That’s my thing.
    Her boss face
    Boss
  • Is that a wave or a nap?
    Her bored face
    Bored
  • Tell them I was pretty.
    Her game over face
    Game over

02 · The rig

Pulled apart

She is built from flat layers, each with its own job. Hover a layer to find it in the stack.

  1. Z7
    PalmsThe sigil tattoos are her guns. Each hand aims at its own target, recoils and flashes on every shot.
  2. Z6
    HairCut into thin strips that sway on a spring and swing when her head turns.
  3. Z5
    FaceBrows, lids and mouth are separate shapes, mixed into 21 reactions.
  4. Z4
    EyesThe pupils slide inside the whites to track the closest threat.
  5. Z3
    HeadTurns, tilts and nods on its own neck, separate from the torso.
  6. Z2
    TorsoSways and breathes. Outfits, chains and ink sit on this layer.
  7. Z1
    BackdropRotates slowly behind her, decides her ultimate, and spins out across the field when it fires.

03 · Game feel

Punchy on purpose

A tower defense game can feel like watching a spreadsheet. Most of the work went into making every number land somewhere you can feel it, and keeping it a skill game with no ceiling instead of a buy-everything-and-wait one.

Chips fly homeKills shatter into pieces and spray chips that hang for a beat, then get pulled into her. Money only counts when they land.
Burn novaThe Solar flare ultimate. Flash, shake, a plasma burst, and her backdrop lights up across the whole field while it burns.
Boss waveEvery tenth wave a named boss arrives with a banner and a slow-motion reveal. As her health drops, black grime builds up on her and she grits her teeth.

04 · Process

How she was made

  1. StartAI baseHer base art was generated from my direction, as one flat, messy 259-layer PSD.
  2. Cleanup148Clean layers, rebuilt and repainted by hand so every piece stacks with every other.
  3. Rig18Reactions built from a neck, eyes, brows, lids, mouth and hair cut into swaying strips.
  4. Game190+Lines written for her, plus the game design, UI, balance and every ultimate.

I designed the game, the reactions and the UI, and directed the code, which was built with AI tools.

Your turn

Keep the
signal alive.

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