Target 234 animation combinations per character to broaden the range of performances.
Independent fighting game · In development
THE LASTPAHLEVANCHAMPION
Expressive fighters. Distinct fighting styles.
An expressive, character-led fighting game for PC. Built in North Vancouver, with an artist-directed vision and an AI-assisted production pipeline.
01 / The game
A strong silhouette.
A readable fight.
A memorable character.
One-on-one combat with personality at its centre.
The Last Pahlevan brings expressive fighters and richly staged environments to a fixed fighting plane in Unreal Engine 5. The next prototype is designed to turn the current foundation into a focused, testable game experience.
PC / WindowsUnreal Engine 5Prototype in development
PROPOSED PROTOTYPE SCOPE
Targets for February–October 2027
02Distinct playable fighters
03Compact stages
60 fpsPerformance target
02 / Development & motion studies
From game tests
to movement studies.
Watch the game in progress, explore new character animation, and browse our marketing experiments. Every clip is labelled by the work it shows.
ACTUAL GAME CAPTURE0:30 · Audio included
Game in progress — Vancouver
Actual work-in-progress game capture from the Vancouver waterfront arena. Development names and interface are visible.
Source: Game_WIP.mp4EXPLORE THE VIDEO LIBRARY
9 clips from the new demo pack, plus the earlier gameplay montage.
Showing 10 videos
The game captures, character studies and promotional tests represent different stages of development. Animation and marketing tests do not establish a finished playable roster or implemented game mechanics.
03 / Environments
Every arena
has a mood.
Explore three existing environment captures. Each image comes from the game build, with its development interface visible.
False Creek / Afterglow
A waterfront arena framed by the city, mountains and the familiar geometry of Vancouver’s skyline.
In-engine capture04 / Character exploration
Distinct faces.
Different possibilities.
Bold shapes, expressive poses and contrasting personalities. Browse the team’s character concept boards and the visual possibilities behind Pahlevan.
CONCEPT BOARD 01 / 12
Kaveh · Shirin · Nima
AI-generated character concepts supplied by the studio. These boards explore a broader cast; they do not represent a finished playable roster. The proposed prototype remains focused on two distinct fighters.
05 / How we build
Artist-directed.
AI-assisted.
We are developing an AI-powered game pipeline to help a small creative team iterate across art and development, while keeping the game and its characters at the centre.
DEVELOPMENT TARGET
234Animation combinations
for each character.
A richer, more diverse movement range—built around each fighter’s personality.
THE QUALITY AMBITION
More range.
More life.
More character.
We aim to compete with leading fighting games through an AI-powered production pipeline and a state-of-the-art quality ambition: varied movement, advanced cloth simulation and expressive faces working together.
Develop advanced cloth simulation so costumes respond convincingly to the character’s movement.
Develop facial expression alongside body performance to carry effort, impact and emotion.
THE PROTOTYPE QUESTION
Can an artist-directed AI workflow improve iteration speed while delivering expressive characters, readable combat and stable performance?
Production-efficiency gains and gameplay performance are objectives to test, not measured results being claimed today.06 / Motion research
Studying movement.
Building character.
Expressive fighters begin with a deep study of movement. Our studio is exploring strikes, balance and full-body transitions to build a richer range of performances for Pahlevan.
SELECTED WORK IN PROGRESS
Five captured performances from an expanding body of motion research. Play, slow down and rotate each study to explore the work.
CAPTURED PERFORMANCEDevelopment study
Loading the performance…
Combat rhythm · Motion study0.0 seconds
Switch to a fixed view to explore the full movement.
Combat rhythm
A fighting-focused study of stance, striking actions and return to guard.
THE WORK BEHIND THE AMBITION
Study the movement. Refine the performance. Give every fighter a distinctive presence.
BUILT THROUGH EXPLORATION
More than a single move.
A wider language of performance.
Our target is 234 animation combinations per character, developed alongside cloth simulation and facial expression. An AI-powered pipeline supports our ambition to achieve the quality expected of leading fighting games.
Captured motion studies shown on a development mannequin. These are works in progress, not final game animation. The animation count, cloth simulation and facial-expression quality are development targets.
07 / The next chapter
A focused path
to a playable prototype.
The proposed nine-month development phase runs from February 1 to October 31, 2027. Dates and scope describe the plan, not completed milestones.
Build & explore
Existing movement and combat tests, environment captures, and character concept exploration.
Work shown on this pageDevelop & validate
Two distinct fighters, three compact stages, local versus, AI and practice modes, with combat and accessibility playtests.
February–October 2027 planExpand with evidence
Use prototype results to guide the full game. Broader roster and online features would be considered in a later production phase.
Subject to scope and financingProject material
Explore the vision.
Follow the development.
Download a concise overview of the game, its creative ambition and the proposed prototype.
The Last Pahlevan
The game vision, the 234-animation-combination target, our motion studies, proposed prototype scope and the team behind the project.
Download project overview ↓08 / The studio
Made with character.
Made in North Vancouver.
Azar Animation Studio Inc. is developing The Last Pahlevan with a hands-on combination of creative production, technical development and character art.
Contact the studio ↗Davoud Ashrafi
CEO · Technical Director
Fatemeh Ghanbarnezhad
Producer · Character Design · 3D Modelling