Big Fish, Little Fish

Big Fish, Little Fish is a project I developed with two friends for a class, Game Design Practicuum. In initial stages, one of our brainstorming prompts was "recursion," and in response I developed the idea of a fish who is able to eat smaller fish and store them recursively, gaining special powers with each different fish. I proposed early concepts for the game's mechanics and visuals, experimenting with a palette that was different from the typical ocean blue, but ultimately our team went with something more colorful and friendly.

Code-wise, I was responsible for creating environmental objects, including boxes, buttons and doors, and metal barriers. I also designed and implemented their interactions with each fish. For example, the Acid Fish can shoot acid to corrode metal and boxes, while the Bubble Fish can shoot a bubble at boxes to make them float. Additionally, I developed the Starfish, which can break off two of its limbs to activate different buttons simultaneously. I also designed puzzles with these tools in mind, capitalizing on the interactions with the environment, combined with interesting map layouts and narrow passages. This included tutorial levels that needed their own UI to display tips to the player.