My Role: Product Vision, UX, UI, Branding, Level Design, Concept to Completion, Creative Marketing

My Team: 1 Engineer, 2 Illustrators, 3rd Party Developer

Time to completion: 3 years

Overview

Space Critters is a journey to save the universe's most adorable creatures. It is a one of a kind puzzle arcade game that captivates both casual gamers and puzzle enthusiasts of all ages. It's free-to-play model ensures that everyone can join in the fun and experience the thrill of this extraordinary game.

Target Audience

Casual Gamers
Puzzle Enthusiasts
Mobile Gamers
All Ages

Kids

Families

Goal: Appeal to a wide range of age groups. Families, kids, teenagers, and even adults should find enjoyment in the vibrant visuals and addictive gameplay.

Casual Games Art Style Moodboard

Art Style Inspiration

The art style needed to appeal to a wide range of players and evoke a sense of fun and lightheartedness. Inspiration came from popular casual games and cartoons that have resonated with large audiences.

Style Guide

The style guide places an emphasis on vibrant colors and playful fonts that fit with lighthearted approachable graphics.

#8ECD7B

#5ABE5C

#EEF8FD

#D7DFE3

#5FCD62

#2ABE31

#27AA2A

#33EFFF

#377DB3

#263F7C

#7CCBF3

#329FD9

#B8C2FD

#7228fb

#4068D8

#FAF1CA

#FECB35

#FFFC70

#FD7424

#F1251C

#E8429A

#753C0C

#F29C36

#35CD9B

#2CFF79

Color Palette

Brand Mark

Fonts

Showcard Gothic
aBCDEFGHIJKLMNOpqrstuvwxyz

PROXIMA NOVA
AaBbCcDdEeFfGgHhIiJjKk
LlMmNnOoPpQqRrSsTtUuVvWwXxYyZz

Crafting the Player Experience

The gameplay concept for Space Critters is directly inspired by Android's "Pattern Unlock Screen".

In-order to unlock an Android phone one option is to swipe a predetermined pattern. The physical movement used for unlocking the phone creates a fun flow, that I thought; if expanded upon, had the potential to become the entire foundation of a very fun puzzle game.

From Concept to Prototype

I set out to create the Player Experience based on Android's "Pattern Unlock Screen".

In-order for the concept to work I would need to establish a gameplay grid that would allow players to flow through movement much like the "Unlock Screen".

Design began with a pen and a paper and a series of quick sketches that helped flush out my concept.

Design Goals:

Establish the gameplay system using a grid layout.
Create a basic set of rules for gameplay.
Begin to tie in casual game play characteristics.
Create rough concept designs for game tiles.

Design Goals:

Each set of tiles when grouped together, will create competing challenges that the player will need to resolve.
Gameplay will combine the "Unlock Screen" with a set of rules based on "Rock, Paper, Scissors".

Preparing the Prototype

With the help of a very talented engineer. We began putting together the first gameplay prototype. The first build featured simple shapes.

The Player Experience would only focus on gameplay mechanics and wether or not the puzzle arcade concept was fun to play.

Build 1
The first prototype.

Simultaneously
I began design on
mid-fidelity wireframes.

Illustrations
Our Illustrators began concept art for graphics and characters.

Gameplay Mechanics:
In order for our engineer to clearly visualize how each game tile should function, I provided colorful mid-fidelity wireframes to show gameplay mechanics.

Premliminary branding
Working title exploration.

UI Design Testing
Small steps toward UI cohesion.

Build 2
Second prototype ready for user testing.

User testing: We volunteered various people to play test the new build. Our kids, wives, friends and family all got the call to action.

Key moment: If we could not confirm that the gameplay concept was fun to play; the entire project would not be moving forward.

Proof of Concept Play Test

Success!
We received overwhelmingly positive feed back on the test build.

"My kids' wanted to play so bad they kept fighting over the tablet."

"So far its fun! I can't wait to see the finished product."

Room for Improvement

"The game is too easy.
The difficulty should vary."

"Have you thought about adding a timer to make it more stressful?"

Success Metrics: We proved the concept is playable and more importantly–fun.

Next Steps?: We could move forward with implementing design, user experience, player journey, and the final milestone–Release on the App Stores.

All The Moving Pieces

Setbacks:

As the scope of the project grew. Our engineer and both illustrators departed from the project.

New Direction:

To successfully bring the game to completion, I shifted gears, bringing in a third-party development team to push the project across the finish line.

Learning to Adapt:

As the lone driving force, my role evolved to include project management and all other aspects of the game's development.

Moving Forward:

I would provide the dev team with all creative direction, assets, materials and feedback as needed.

From Blueprint to App Store Build

With the foundation set in pre-production, Space Critters shifted into a full pause, as I retooled to move the project into the development stages.

Challenges:
Without a team to work with and a limited budget, moving forward, I would need to provide clear and concise direction with little room for error.

Bringing on a third-party team unfamiliar with Space Critters would introduce its own set of challenges.

Solution:
In order to provide clear direction that would translate into an efficient development process, I needed to create a blueprint that communicated every aspect of the game—level design, concept, storyboards, characters, monetization strategy, and more.

✅ 56-Page Game Design Document:

After six months of hard work I completed the 56-page Game Design Document that I could hand over to any third-party development team unfamiliar with Space Critters.
Using my GDD as a foundation, the development team was able to code efficiently in Unity, streamlining the development process.
The GDD communicated every aspect of Space Critters.
It provided the art team with clear guidance on completing the unfinished art assets left by the previous illustrators.
It established clear guidelines for functionality, player experience, flowcharts, UI placement, level design, monetization, point systems, menu interactions, story boards, etc.

Game Design Document

Information Architecture

After defining clear guidelines and providing a production roadmap with the GDD, I provided the development team with additional Information Architecture "Sticky Notes" organizing all major screens, menus, and interactions to help them visualize the content for development.

Player Journey Flowchart

Building on the Information Architecture, I also provided a simplified flowchart detailing the player’s journey through out the game. It illustrates how players navigate between key screens, interact with various game elements, and progress through different stages—ensuring the development team had a clear understanding of the game's flow and structure.

Finalizing the UI: Assets & Art Direction

While the game was being actively coded, I served as Art Director, delivering final UI assets, directing the creative vision, and providing clear art direction and feedback to ensure seamless integration of all art assets.

Space Critters Goes Live

After three years of development, Space Critters launched in December 2020 on iOS and the Amazon App Store, reaching players for the first time. Six months later, it expanded to Google Play, marking the completion of its multi-platform rollout.

Market Reception & Achievements

GDC Space Critters Entrant Page

Conclusion

Space Critters was well received on the market, earning both industry recognition and strong player feedback. It was selected as an entrant in the GDC 2021 Independent Games Festival, highlighting its innovation and game design.

The game also received outstanding ratings, with a 4.7-star average on iOS and a 5.0-star rating on Google Play, where players praised its engaging gameplay and charming characters.

Despite a tiny marketing budget, Space Critters achieved over 1,000 downloads across platforms and saw significant growth through App Store Optimization (ASO), reaching a 16.91% conversion rate without ad spend, demonstrating organic appeal.

It also gained over 10,000 Facebook followers, further increasing visibility and engagement. To expand its reach, Space Critters was also localized in Spanish for the Latin American market and successfully launched worldwide.

My Role: Product Vision, UX, UI, Branding, Level Design, Concept to Completion, Creative Marketing My Team: 1 Engineer, 2 Illustrators, 3rd Party Developer Time to completion: 3 years

Overview

Target Audience

​Casual Gamers

Puzzle Enthusiasts

Mobile Gamers

All Ages

​

Kids

Families

Goal: Appeal to a wide range of age groups. Families, kids, teenagers, and even adults should find enjoyment in the vibrant visuals and addictive gameplay.

Casual Games Art Style Moodboard

Art Style Inspiration

The art style needed to appeal to a wide range of players and evoke a sense of fun and lightheartedness. Inspiration came from popular casual games and cartoons that have resonated with large audiences.

Style Guide

The style guide places an emphasis on vibrant colors and playful fonts that fit with lighthearted approachable graphics.

#8ECD7B

#5ABE5C

#EEF8FD

#D7DFE3

#5FCD62

#2ABE31

#27AA2A

#33EFFF

#377DB3

#263F7C

#7CCBF3

#329FD9

#B8C2FD

#7228fb

#4068D8

#FAF1CA

#FECB35

#FFFC70

#FD7424

#F1251C

#E8429A

#753C0C

#F29C36

#35CD9B

#2CFF79

Color Palette

Brand Mark

Fonts

Crafting the Player Experience

From Concept to Prototype

Design Goals:

Each set of tiles when grouped together, will create competing challenges that the player will need to resolve.

​Gameplay will combine the "Unlock Screen" with a set of rules based on "Rock, Paper, Scissors".

Preparing the Prototype

With the help of a very talented engineer. We began putting together the first gameplay prototype. The first build featured simple shapes. The Player Experience would only focus on gameplay mechanics and wether or not the puzzle arcade concept was fun to play.

Build 1 The first prototype.

Simultaneously I began design on mid-fidelity wireframes.

Illustrations Our Illustrators began concept art for graphics and characters.

Gameplay Mechanics: In order for our engineer to clearly visualize how each game tile should function, I provided colorful mid-fidelity wireframes to show gameplay mechanics.

Premliminary branding Working title exploration.

UI Design Testing Small steps toward UI cohesion.

Build 2 Second prototype ready for user testing.

Key moment: If we could not confirm that the gameplay concept was fun to play; the entire project would not be moving forward.

Proof of Concept Play Test

Success! We received overwhelmingly positive feed back on the test build.

"My kids' wanted to play so bad they kept fighting over the tablet."

"So far its fun! I can't wait to see the finished product."

Room for Improvement

"The game is too easy. The difficulty should vary."

"Have you thought about adding a timer to make it more stressful?"

All The Moving Pieces

Setbacks:

As the scope of the project grew. Our engineer and both illustrators departed from the project.

​

From Blueprint to App Store Build

After six months of hard work I completed the 56-page Game Design Document that I could hand over to any third-party development team unfamiliar with Space Critters.

Using my GDD as a foundation, the development team was able to code efficiently in Unity, streamlining the development process.

The GDD communicated every aspect of Space Critters.

It provided the art team with clear guidance on completing the unfinished art assets left by the previous illustrators.

It established clear guidelines for functionality, player experience, flowcharts, UI placement, level design, monetization, point systems, menu interactions, story boards, etc.

Game Design Document

Information Architecture

After defining clear guidelines and providing a production roadmap with the GDD, I provided the development team with additional Information Architecture "Sticky Notes" organizing all major screens, menus, and interactions to help them visualize the content for development. ​​

Player Journey Flowchart

My Role: Product Vision, UX, UI, Branding, Level Design, Concept to Completion, Creative Marketing

My Team: 1 Engineer, 2 Illustrators, 3rd Party Developer

Time to completion: 3 years

Casual Gamers

Gameplay will combine the "Unlock Screen" with a set of rules based on "Rock, Paper, Scissors".

With the help of a very talented engineer. We began putting together the first gameplay prototype. The first build featured simple shapes.

The Player Experience would only focus on gameplay mechanics and wether or not the puzzle arcade concept was fun to play.

Build 1
The first prototype.

Simultaneously
I began design on
mid-fidelity wireframes.

Illustrations
Our Illustrators began concept art for graphics and characters.

Gameplay Mechanics:
In order for our engineer to clearly visualize how each game tile should function, I provided colorful mid-fidelity wireframes to show gameplay mechanics.

Premliminary branding
Working title exploration.

UI Design Testing
Small steps toward UI cohesion.

Build 2
Second prototype ready for user testing.

Success!
We received overwhelmingly positive feed back on the test build.

"The game is too easy.
The difficulty should vary."

After defining clear guidelines and providing a production roadmap with the GDD, I provided the development team with additional Information Architecture "Sticky Notes" organizing all major screens, menus, and interactions to help them visualize the content for development.