2020

A micro game where players upgrade the “game feel” through an in-game store across several abstract and challenging levels

Little Things began as a small demonstration to my coworkers, aiming to visualize how important the concept of “game feel” is for game designers to understand and appreciate. Created over the course of a few weekends, the goal was to build a very basic top-down shooter, then expand on it with many different types of visual and code-driven additions – proving that even when affecting the core game as little as possible, all the little things come together to ensure a higher quality experience.

Of course, this demo was inspired by videos and talks such as “Juice It Or Lose It” and “The Art of Screenshake” – with a gamified twist. I’ve also given a studio presentation about this game, imparting on the team how important the little things really can be.

Notable Features:

  • Crisp top-down aesthetic
  • Several levels and escalate in difficulty
  • Group enemy AI that can avoid obstacles and gang up on the player
  • 15+ “game feel” options that can be unlocked, making the game feel much more fun to play, including; screen shake, player scale animations, enemies exploding, depth of field, debris, camera transitions, player knockback, smooth camera tracking, smoother player movement, etc