2D Character Animator for Action-Metroidvania game at Titanium Clad Studios

Job Description

Important Details

• Project: Unannounced 2D action-metroidvania (Godot 4.7, PC + console)
• Type: Independent contractor, part-time, ongoing
• Rate: $30–$60/hr or per-animation-set flat rate — negotiable based on experience
• Commitment: ~10–15 hours/week, flexible scheduling
• Location: Fully remote
• Start: Immediate

About the Project

Ryan, the owner and solo developer behind Titanium Clad Studios, is building a commercial 2D metroidvania in Godot. The core movement and combat systems are built and playable — double jump, a state-machine-driven traversal kit, hitbox/hurtbox combat, custom shader work. A contracted character artist is already delivering high-resolution frame art.

What they need now is someone who can make that art move like a first-tier action platformer.

The project is pre-reveal, so specifics stay behind an NDA until the trailer. Build footage and art can be shared with candidates.

What You’ll Do

• Punch up existing animations. The current player and enemy animations are functional placeholders and rough passes. They need them reworked for weight, anticipation, follow-through, and readable arcs — the kind of polish that makes a jump feel like it has mass and an attack feel like it lands.
• Create new animation sets going forward. New abilities, enemies, NPCs, and traversal states ship on a rolling basis. Expect to take a character sheet or base pose from concept to a complete, engine-ready set.
• Animate for game feel, not for a reel. Startup, active, and recovery frames need to line up with hitbox timings and cancel windows. Loops need to be seamless. Transitions need to hold up when a player mashes inputs. They will provide frame-data targets; that need to be hit without the animation looking mechanical.
• Deliver engine-ready assets. Frame sequences or sprite sheets that drop cleanly into AnimatedSprite2D / SpriteFrames, named and organized to a consistent convention.

Requirements

• A portfolio with shipped or in-development game animation is preferred but not required — Gameplay clips would be amazing, but reels will also be considered
• Strong frame-by-frame 2D animation fundamentals: timing, spacing, squash/stretch, smears, arcs
• Demonstrated understanding of how animation serves responsiveness — you know why a 3-frame startup reads differently from a 6-frame one
• Comfortable working from another artist’s character sheets and matching their style
• Raster/frame-based workflow (Aseprite, Photoshop, Procreate, Toon Boom, Krita — your call). Some rigged animation using bones/skeletons may be considered, but only for specific characters.
• Reliable async communication and the ability to self-manage against milestones
• Willing to sign an NDA and a work-for-hire agreement assigning IP to the project

Nice to Have

• Godot experience, especially importing and configuring SpriteFrames yourself
• Familiarity with action-platformer and metroidvania animation conventions (Hollow Knight, Dead Cells, Blasphemous, Ori as reference vocabulary)
• Awareness of memory/VRAM constraints on console targets — atlas packing, frame-count discipline, resolution budgeting
• Basic VFX animation (impact flashes, dust, trails) to accompany character actions

Terms

• Independent contractor (1099 for US-based); you invoice, I pay on [Net 15] per milestone
• Work-for-hire — all delivered assets and IP assign to the project on payment
• NDA required before receiving builds or unreleased art
• Portfolio use permitted after public reveal, with credit; the game credits you either way

How to Apply:

Email to: ryan@titaniumcladstudios.com with the subject line “Character Animator — [Your Name]” and include:

1. Portfolio link — timestamp or call out the 2–3 pieces you’re proudest of and say why
2. Your rate and availability, structured however you prefer to be paid
3. Tools you work in and your typical delivery format
4. Two or three sentences on an animation in a released game you think is exceptional, and what specifically makes it work

Paid test: Shortlisted candidates get one paid animation set — a single character action, scoped to a few hours — before they commit to ongoing work. They’ll pay for the test regardless of the outcome.

Requirements

• Portfolio with Animated Gameplay clips would be strongly preferred, but reels will also be considered.
• Strong frame-by-frame 2D animation fundamentals: timing, spacing, squash/stretch, smears, arcs.
• Demonstrated understanding of how animation serves responsiveness.
• Comfortable working from character sheets and matching the style.
• Raster/frame-based workflow (Aseprite, Photoshop, Procreate, Toon Boom, Krita — your call). Some rigged animation using bones/skeletons may be considered, but only for specific characters.
• Reliable async communication and the ability to self-manage against milestones
• Willing to sign an NDA and a work-for-hire agreement assigning IP to the project

Offer includes