Casual, Hybridcasual & Hypercasual Games

Projects Context

Given our origins as a work-for-hire studio, I was initially brought into the studio to work on different casual projects on behalf of partners and publishers or work on own-IP that had already been launched and was testing well.

Pangolin Rescue

Google Play Store Link: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.ontheedge.pangolin&hl 

Pangolin Rescue is a mobile puzzle title inspired by the classic Dreamcast game ChuChu Rocket!

Developed on behalf of external partner OTE Productions, the digital game studio arm of endangered animal-focused charity On The Edge, I pitched the project in-person and was one of two level designers on the project, creating half a dozen in-engine levels for the game

Contribution

• Half a dozen In-engine level creations. Each level included multiple objectives of different difficulties, balancing of rewards, enemy design and placements (in-level positions, rotations, speed etc.), trap placement, cosmetics and more

• Game design documentation outlining all facets of the game, including art direction, meta and progression design, UI/UX design, monetization planning, educational content  and more

Angelshark: Sea Survival

Google Play Store Link: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.ontheedge.angelshark 

App Store Link: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/angelshark-sea-survival/id6739430666 

Angelshark: Sea Survival is a a mobile title incorporating stealth, action and survival gameplay. The game was inspired by Cat Escape and similar titles.

Developed on behalf of external partner OTE Productions, the digital game studio arm of endangered animal-focused charity On The Edge, I pitched the project in-person and was one of two designers on the project.

Contribution

• Level white-boxing for over a dozen levels using ProBuilder 

• Game design documentation outlining all facets of the game, including art direction, meta and progression design, UI/UX design, monetization planning, educational content  and more

My Perfect Neighbourhood

Google Play Store Link: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.ozuma.recycletown 

My Perfect Neighbourhood is a casual resource-gathering game, with the core loop of cleaning rubbish piles to earn resources that are traded at resource centres for coins that unlock more of the world.

As a brand-new title, I was involved from the pre-production phase to its initial launch.

Contribution

• Short game design documentation creation to coherently scope MVP content for first testing: Economy outline, core gameplay loops, quantity of resource centres, world scale, camera behaviour, play length, art & sound requirements etc. 

• In-engine level creation: Hooking up camera behaviour, resource centres, props, environments, unlock tiles, buildings etc.

• Meta & economy assignment & balancing 

Toy Land

Google Play Store Link: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.ozuma.oipfor 

Toy Land is a casual 'draw line' puzzler in which the user has to guide up to three robots safely to their corresponding coloured exists, avoiding environment hazards, walls, and one another.

I was brought on the project post-launch, with the goal of redesigning the game based on a revised concept from the art team (a toy shop after dark) and to create new levels in-engine to extend the game's playtime.

Contribution

• Short game design documentation creation to coherently scope MVP content for a reskin and 10+ new levels. This included what asset requirements design requires, difficulty ramping of new levels, the integration of a new star rating, and level design that coherently fits with the existing game

• In-engine creation of 10+ levels

• Gameplay balancing: new level difficulties & new star rating score thresholds

Adventure Island

Google Play Store Link: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.ozuma.adventureisland 

Adventure Island is a casual take on World of Warcraft, with a core gameplay loop of defeating enemies to collect resources which are traded in at different vendors to complete quests for gold, used to unlock more of the island.

I was brought onto the project post-launch with the goal of extending playtime by adding new levels and exploring new ways to monetize with rewarded video.

Contribution

• In-engine level creation & environment design: new island location, props, environment design, island unlock costs, enemy spawn placements 

• In-engine monetization design: new island locations unlocked using rewarded video 

• Meta & economy design: new stats upgrade meta & coin sinks

Marvel HQ

Google Play Store Link: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.storytoys.marvelhq.googleplay 

App Store Link: https://apps.apple.com/app/marvel-hq-kids-super-hero-fun/id1633050797 

Marvel HQ is a Marvel sub-brand, with iconic Marvel heroes such as Spiderman, Hulk and Iron Man redesigned for very young audiences. The Marvel HQ game is a subscription service containing fun activities and mini-games, centred on these redesigned Marvel heroes.

I was brought onto the project, which had already existed for a significant amount of time before I joined, to create short design guidance (mini-game design documentation) for two mini-games to live in the Marvel HQ game, of which one made it into the final game: Marvel Action Sequences, a 'living stickerbook' in which users place the correct sticker in the correct spot across different Marvel HQ-themed environments.

Contribution

• Very short game design documentation write-up to guide the development for Marvel Action Sequences, an interactive stickerbook concept provided by the IP licensor. Design included outlining age-appropriate user input, helper guides to assist young audiences idle on screens for long periods of time, Marvel HQ-branded locations, heroes and villains to include, and sticker poses, taken directly from the hit Marvel HQ TV show, alongside light UI/UX and level design outlines suitable for very young audiences

Ammo Fever

Google Play Store Link: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.ozuma.ammofever 

Ammo Fever is a casual, wave-based zone defence game, fusing an idle meta with cannon-based combat.

As a brand-new title, I was involved from the pre-production phase right the way to its initial launch.

Contribution

• Short game design documentation outlining MVP content for an initial launch: single-level concept outline, core gameplay loops, art & sound asset requirements, enemy wave patterns, gameplay values design (weapon damage values, weapon production times, weapon production costs etc.)

• In-engine level design: A single big level 

• Created all in-game resource UI icons

• In-engine gameplay balancing

• In-engine meta & economy balancing

RNLI: Storm Force Rescue

Google Play Store Link: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.rnli.stormforce 

App Store Link: https://apps.apple.com/app/rnli-storm-force-rescue/id6478234948 

RNLI: Storm Force Rescue is a work-for-hire project on behalf of the UK's oldest charity: The Royal National Lifeboat Institute, with the aim of teaching young children about water safety by recreating similar scenarios to real-world RNLI rescue missions. 

I was brought onto the project during the early planning phase to outline baseline design direction for client feedback & approval

Contribution

• Game design documentation outlining character speech and mission text (with simplified variations for users under 7 years old), cutscene planning, mission outlines, hazards and threats, pickups, badge collection meta, character upgrade meta, gameplay loops, progression systems, FTUE & onboarding, future seasonal content, and music/SFX requirements