Rapid Prototyping Challenge: Unity

This project showcases a series of five experimental games created in Unity, each built with a small team over the course of just one to two weeks. The goal of this challenge was to practice rapid prototyping while focusing on designing unique mechanics and systems that immediately spark interest.

Each game was built around a single strong idea – a mechanic or pair of mechanics – and explores that idea in depth, stripping away distractions to focus on what makes the experience itself fun. By keeping scope tight and iteration fast, I was able to experiment widely, creating a range of experiences from zero-gravity shooters to meditative flight sims.

Across these prototypes, my focus was on creating games that not only sound intriguing on paper but also deliver playful, engaging experiences that push players to interact with systems in new and surprising ways.

Below I’ve presented each game, listed out key features that I had designed, and provided a video and documentation for each project!

Game 1: Kickback Cosmos

Zero-gravity traversal shooter where movement is powered by gun recoil.

3D Platformer & Shooter | Team of 5 | Built in 1 week

In Kickback Cosmos, players control an astronaut navigating a derelict space station using only the recoil from their dual-wielded guns. I was responsible for the level and movement system design, focusing on crafting chaotic yet rewarding traversal challenges. Core mechanics I designed include:

• Gun Recoil Locomotion: Players must propel themselves using directional gunfire, as they are always pushed opposite to the direction they shoot in this zero-gravity environment.
• Environmental Hazards: Damage-dealing walls and moving obstacles intensify navigational demands on the player, forcing them to actively think on their feet to avoid hazards.
• Alien Enemies: The space station is full of invading aliens! These aliens can be shot to increase the player’s final score, forcing the player to modify their trajectory (potentially throwing themselves into harm’s way!) for extra points. In future versions of this game, the aliens may even serve as obstacles themselves, as they may fire back at the player or lay down mines.
• “Hull Breach” Vacuum Pull System: A persistent force draws the player forward through the level, which was implemented to lower the player’s disorientation. By pulling the player passively through the level, the player is always aware of which direction they need to head in to reach the end, and they can also fight this force by using the recoil of their guns.
• Power Shot: The player can charge up a devastating shot with enormous power behind it, allowing the player to make strong directional corrections when necessary.

The level design escalates from a gentle introduction to allow the player to get their bearings in a disorienting environment to intense obstacle dodging, culminating in a final escape sequence that tests mastery of the movement mechanics as the player tries to make it through the station’s breached hull.

Learn more details by viewing the game’s documentation here!

Game 2: Lost Horizon

A meditative yet tense flight sim exploring habitat loss through the eyes of a migrating stork.

3D Artistic Narrative | Team of 5 | Built in 2 weeks

This expressive game casts the player as a white stork flying northward each year as resting habitats gradually disappear. I designed core navigation mechanics and environment systems, helping to shape the emotional arc of the game. Core mechanics I designed include:

• Manual Flight Control: Players control the bird’s pitch and roll, and can flap to gain altitude with the press of the space bar, allowing for fluid navigation through a wide and open sky – giving the player a sense of freedom when flying.
• Stamina System: Sustained flight drains stamina, which can be regained by resting on the ground. If the player runs out of stamina, they will lose the ability to flap their wings and slowly pitch downwards, forcing a risky landing if safe zones are depleted.
• Progressive Habitat Loss: With each migration year, fewer safe resting spots remain, mirroring real-world ecological decline due to human factors like deforestation and draining of wetland to construct housing.
• Risky Landing: In real life, storks will often fall out of the sky in exhaustion, unable to move as they recover from the intense exertion each leg of their migration takes. They remember locations that are safe to land at over their many migrations – but as habitats are destroyed, more of these once-safe locations become dangerous, and safe spots become few and far between. In the game, the player may need to land in an unsafe location to recover stamina – in these locations, the player faces potential danger in the form of a preying cat, which will spell disaster for the player if they do not react quickly enough when alerted to the cat’s presence.

The result is an evocative experience that blends freedom and rising desperation, where players experience firsthand the impact of environmental destruction. The progressive loss of safe zones in the game means that the game gets steadily harder and harder as the player runs out of locations to safely recover, before they are inevitably caught by a predator.

Learn more details by viewing the game’s documentation here!

Game 3: Guns & Groceries

Chaotic PvP arena shooter where players build weapons on the fly out of grocery produce.

3D Multiplayer Arena Shooter | Team of 5 | Built in 2 weeks

In this fast-paced multiplayer prototype, I was responsible for level and systems design, crafting the arena layout and ensuring that the in-depth weapon system drove emergent gameplay. Core mechanics I designed include:

• Weapon Crafting: Players skewer up to three pieces of produce, each adding unique effects to their gun (eggs may make bullets explode, corn could make the weapon rapid-fire, while a drumstick could turn the weapon into a hit-scan weapon).
• Dynamic Ammo System: Each produce item in the back of the skewer provides limited shots – once depleted, its ejected, forcing players to rebuild their weapon mid-match.
• Rapid Movement & Pacing: The game features rapid traversal and twitch-based combat reminiscent of classic arena shooters like Quake and Unreal Tournament, encouraging aggressive playstyles and tight reflexes that complement the chaotic and ever-changing weapon loadouts.

Guns & Groceries stands out as a chaotic and creative twist on the arena shooter formula. By fusing fast-paced Quake-like movement with a dynamic weapon crafting system, the game encourages constant experimentation, adaptation, and laughter! Its layered systems create a uniquely replayable experience that thrives on player creativity and quick thinking.

Learn more details by viewing the game’s documentation here!

Game 4: Star Profiteer

A satirical clicker game where you profit from endless war – just don’t let anyone win.

2D Economy & Clicker | Team of 5 | Built in 2 weeks

In Star Profiteer, I led design on the game’s economy structure and balancing system, creating a satirical clicker game where you sell weapons to planets at war, aiming to profit while ensuring no side gains the upper hand. The twist? If one planet wins, everyone else explodes – and your sources of income disappear. Core mechanics I designed include:

• Planet-based Economy Management: The player sells weapons to warring planets and much balance each planet’s “war score” to avoid a game over.
• Progressive Automation: Players can purchase upgrades (factories, puppets, protesters) to automate income and influence war scores across factions.
• Volatile Feedback Loop: The player’s actions feed back into a volatile system – favoring one planet too much leads to explosive consequences, encouraging careful strategic equilibrium.

Star Profiteer re-imagines the clicker genre as a systems-driven balancing act with a dark comedy flair, blending idle mechanics with strategy. Through its war score management and upgrade loops, the game challenges players to maintain a fragile equilibrium while maximizing profit.

Learn more details by viewing the game’s documentation here!

Game 5: Gnome Party

Tactical turn-based RPG where combat is all about positioning a party of fickle gnomes.

2D RPG & Puzzle | Team of 4 | Built in 2 weeks

In Gnome Party, players control a six-member gnome squad in a series of tactical battles across an enchanted garden and an underground cave. I led the design and programming of the entire combat system, including ability interactions, enemy telegraphs, equipment, and position-sensitive mechanics. Key mechanics I designed include:

• Position-based abilities: Gnome powers shift depending on front/middle/back row placement, encouraging dynamic movement strategies each turn.
• Enemy attack telegraphing: Foes preview their next move, allowing players to preemptively shield or reposition vulnerable gnomes.
• Modular item system: Equipment alters gnome abilities (e.g., giving an axe to the healing gnome will cause it to both heal and deal damage when its ability is used)
• Environmental modifiers: Each zone (Garden, Cave, Volcano) introduces turn-end effects (e.g., healing, random swaps, damage if stationary), forcing players to adapt their tactics.

I designed the game’s modular items and ability architecture, balancing the interaction of gnome roles and their abilities, items, and enemy attacks. The visual design reinforces a warm, lighthearted tone while offering layered strategic depth.

Learn more details by viewing the game’s documentation here!