Ballad of the Mind


Mobile 2.5D music-music puzzle game



Game Summary

A 2.5D music based mobile game about facing your own fears.
Playing as a socially anxious teenager, solve music puzzles to overcome the fear of performing on stage.


Role:

 Programmer Game Designer 2D Artist

Contribution:

  • Responsible for the design of the core game mechanics, programming and unity implementation of a  2.5D music-based mobile game that utilizes a gyroscope for navigation within the game.
  • Designed characters, game UI and 2D assets.

Tools Used:

Unity 3D C# Photoshop Procreate Plastic SCM


Project Duration:

7 weeks

Development


Gyroscope navigation
  • Implemented first-person gyroscope camera controls for immersive movement on mobile devices.

  • Calibrated gyro sensitivity through iterative testing builds for responsiveness and comfort across varying mobile sensors.

Challenges :

  • Testing gyroscope features required time-consuming builds instead of quick in-editor testing



Musical notes sequence puzzles 
  • Designed music sequence puzzles as core gameplay mechanic to reinforce themes of anxiety and self-doubt which fits with the narrative of the game.

  • Created a number of puzzles with adjustable sequences, combining short music clips in different orders and rhythms.

  • Iteratively playtested puzzle difficulty and sequence combinations to provide challenge without frustration.

Challenges of 2.5D art style with 2D assets in a 3D environment
  • I created stylized hand-drawn black-and-white art assets for characters, environments, and UI and places them in 3D world space to achieve the 2.5D game feel.

  • I used simple shapes and messy lines to convey emotion and enhance the hand-drawn aesthetic.

However I also faced some challenges with the art style of the game:

  • Maintaining visual consistency across very different settings required iterative refinements. 
  • As my game is based around gyroscopes, getting the perspective of all the drawn elements of the game (furniture in the corners) was tricky and also required iterations.


 Mobile Optimisation 
  • During the development process I considered different mobile screen resolutions and adapted gameplay for inclusivity across devices.

  • All assets are light in size to make sure the build size doesn’t exceed 100Mb limit.


 Collaboration with other departments


During the project I closely collaborated with a composer and a sound designer at every stage of the development process to ensure that  music and sound effects fit with the gameplay and narrative of the game.



Full Playthrough Video