Yogesh Singh - UX/Product Designer

1.1m+

Downloads

20k+

Reviews

4.5/5

Rating

Compatible with Android

About this game

Shades - Combat Militia is a third-person tactical action game where you play a character who has to face a small group of terrorists. Your enemies are controlled by AI but you can also play against friends on the same Wi-Fi network.

Before starting to play Shades - Combat Militia, you can customize your character's appearance. You can edit tons of different features of your character: leg length, arm size, height, clothes, and more.

The controls are perfectly designed for touchscreens. On the left side of the screen you have a virtual joystick that moves your character around, and another virtual joystick on the right for aiming your weapon. On the right you've also got buttons for changing weapons or throwing grenades.

Shades - Combat Militia is a third-person shooter that, instead of offering a hectic gameplay (like many others), offers an experience that's much more deliberate and tactical.

Story of this game

Why Shades?

Shades was born from a desire to recapture the tactical depth and camaraderie of classics like Rainbow Six Vegas 2. The goal was to fill a specific gap in the modern market by providing a high-fidelity experience that prioritizes gameplay over prevailing industry trends.

The development of Shades focuses on three core pillars:

Mechanical Integrity: Moving away from the "floaty" or unpolished mechanics common in indie shooters.
Grounded Realism: Opting for a sophisticated visual style rather than the saturated, cartoonish aesthetics currently oversaturating the genre.
Player-Centric Design: Prioritizing immersive gameplay loops over aggressive monetization or "pay-to-win" structures.

Ultimately, Shades is a tribute to tactical shooters that treat the player’s skill and immersion as the primary objective.

Screenshot from Rainbow Six: Vegas 2 PC game.

Screenshot from Mini Militia android game.

New Experience

Icons for the three maps and their difficulty levels.

Maps & Levels

These maps informed our design process. By blending core elements from Rainbow Six: Vegas 2 with distinctive gameplay, we aimed to deliver a fresh and engaging player experience.

Carnage - Easy, Medium, Hard, Minute Man
Theater - Easy, Medium, Hard, Minute Man
Villa - Easy, Medium, Hard, Minute Man

Achievements

Player engagement and retention are driven by clear objectives. To incentivize diverse playstyles, we designed a suite of 60 achievements that reward players with Experience Points (XP).

Sample Achievements:

Resistance Revolution: Complete all levels consecutively without health pickups. (1250 XP, Solo)
The Uprising: Secure two kills within the first 10 seconds of a match. (3000 XP, Multiplayer)
Savior: Take a lethal shot intended for a teammate. (500 XP, Multiplayer)

All the achievements and amount of XP awarded.

Reward Medals for earning different levels of XP.

Gamification

Players progress through a rank-based leveling system fueled by XP. Higher ranks grant access to more powerful weaponry and specialized equipment, providing a consistent incentive for continued play.

Sample Unlocks:

Rank	Required XP	Unlocks
3	2500	Taurus MT-40 (SMG), Poison Grenade (Throwable)
6	15000	M112 C4 (Throwable), Armsel Protecta (SMG)
8	30000	Sawed-off Shotgun (Shotgun)

Prototyping

Our UI philosophy prioritizes a clutter-free experience by minimizing on-screen elements while integrating essential features like player customization, level previews, and comprehensive multiplayer scoreboards. To protect the player's immersion, we deliberately excluded all advertisements and intrusive popups.

Shades - Combat Militia