Paper Chase
Platform: Unity Mobile
Completed: May 2024
Team Size: 2
Paper Chase is a casual mobile game experience where players chase, catch, and unfold origami. Designed as a minigame for Genies’ avatar gaming network, this project, made with UX-designer Shutong (Kiwi) Liu, focuses on balancing target audience with quick, easy to grasp F2P mobile mechanics.
As the lead programmer and game designer, I implemented 3D assets, created custom User Interfaces, and visually scripted all elements of gameplay. Using Genies’ API, I adaptively learnt Unity’s Visual Scripting language as I was designing and implementing gameplay.
Heavily inspired by games such as Rodeo Stampede and the Paper Mario Series, this project aims to tap into the joy of paper’s interactions to best serve Genies’ young target demographic. Much like folding origami, there’s a certain playfulness of paper that I wanted to tap into through action mechanics, level design, and gameplay aesthetic. Players can interact with playfully programmed AI origami that run and jump away on your mobile screen.
Gameplay
Paper Chase is a mobile game where players capture and unfold origami that have come to life. Players use a joystick to navigate 3 regions to chase origami and then tap unfolding points in numerical order. Capture each origami and unfold them to unlock new regions and unfold the wishing star!
User Interface
Implementation of UI was a key feature for ensuring coherent aesthetic and conveying mechanics. The custom joystick was used to make mobile player movement simple and accessible with just one finger. The origami folding points have a clear numerical order and unique highlight to ensure that players can always click the randomized points in order.
Game hints, timers, and score systems are prevalent throughout as to ensure that gameplay elements are clearly conveyed. While the game initially utilized shooting paper planes and choosing upgrades as a mechanic, the User Interface and design changed in order to better compliment a mobile-user’s casual experience.
Origami
Each Origami asset was sourced from Runemark Studios on the Unity Asset Store. I visually scripted the origami’s rocking idle animation in order to make each creature more lively. Randomized jumps and various run speeds were also scripted to make catching each regions origami increasingly difficult to catch. Additionally, each origami caught grants the players bonus stats, such as increased unfolding time, extra attempts to unfold, and greater movement speed.
Ultimately, I was able to achieve playful enemies designed to feel like living origami creatures. In the future, there is also room within its framework for unique movement abilities and trait bonuses for future Genies’ demoes.
Level Design
The map is comprised of 3 regions facing each other each with various origami to catch within. Players must catch 3 origami in each region in order to unlock the next one before ultimately doing the last unfolding challenge of the wishing star within the map’s center. Each region is designed to look distinct and unique, with various assets acting as visual points of interest. They also feature public assets that I have flattened to create a paper-like environment to add to the storybook aesthetic.
Forest Region: Dog, Monkey, Mouse
Desert Region: Tiger, Dragon, Snake
Fields Region: Horse, Chicken, Rabbit
Unfolding
The primary action mechanic for this project takes from the simplicity of many free to play mobile games. Once players catch an origami, they have to unfold them to add them to their score by clicking on each point in rapid succession.
Players tap randomized points in various key points on an origami. As you click and unfold each point, the highlight icon will move accordingly. Ultimately, it prepares players for the final challenge, where they can use their acquired bonuses to unfold the wishing star which increases up to 8 unfolding points.