Seaworthy
Game Designer - 3D Rhythm Game
Solo Project - 4 months
Solo Project - 4 months
When drafting new ideas - for stories, systems, interactions, etc. - I like to see where I can challenge convention, where "the way it's always been" isn't the only option and where the alternatives could lead. So when, while brainstorming ideas for this project, I realized that rhythm games didn't need to be music-centric, the rest of the concept soon followed. After all, there are so many other things in life that are rhythmic - for instance, our breathing, our heartbeat, our movements through space, and the movements of the ocean. Focusing on the steadiness and variation of rhythmic action itself, I developed a system rooted in physical and emotional control to tell a story of recovery and reclamation after a traumatic loss. With the rhythms pulling double duty as the motions of swimming and the internal process of centering and panic management, players try to maintain control against the crashing waves and their racing heart, their success or failure determining both their progress through the water and the character's level of stress. Within this system is told the story of Alex Vargas, once-passionate swimmer and boating accident victim, and their return to the water for a swim test. As the developer, I handled:
- Creating and implementing the rhythm system and related mechanics
- Designing the UI, panic system, and audio-visual feedback
- Telling the story through level design, dialogue, and sound design
- Conducting 19 total playtests and acting on player feedback to improve engagement
Throughout development and testing, testers found the gameplay engaging and the concept and core story interesting (if somewhat off-putting), with the final iteration receiving positive appraisal. If there is one thing in this project I would want to work more on, it's the menus - the project parameters were largely gameplay-focused, and as such the interactivity and feedback of the menus didn't receive much attention. For now, though, Seaworthy stands as a successful experiment in gameplay and storytelling, a satisfying reward for the risks taken during development.
Content Warning: Anxiety-inducing gameplay/UX design, swimming and drowning related imagery, story references traumatic events
Cover Image: Christian Ferrer, CC BY 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons