Bricks Over Blocks
IGDA SLC Game of the Year (2025). Zero to Steam in 4 months with an 8-person team at WalterNet Games.
My Contributions
- Designed & Implemented Power-ups: Created 3 unique power-up mechanics to drive gameplay variety.
- Core Systems Engineering: Co-developed the scoring system and Game State lifecycle management.
- Asset Pipeline: Collaborated with Artists to integrate 3D assets and animations into the engine.
- UI Ownership: Designed and implemented the full HUD and Menu interface widgets.
Core Gameplay Design
Bricks Over Blocks is an action-breakout game that fuses classic brick breaker with side-scrolling platformer controls. We redesigned the traditional fixed 1D paddle into a freely movable, jumping physics character with a bounce pad on its head. This expands the player's control from simple left-right movement to full 2D space, shifting the experience from "breakout" to "action game."
The core design tension comes from the ball trajectory being both an offensive tool and a defensive risk. Players guide the ball by moving when they catch it, aiming upward to destroy bricks. But the ball also shatters the floor bricks beneath the player — below the floor is lava, and falling means losing a life. Once floor bricks are destroyed they don't regenerate, so the player's safe space shrinks as the game progresses, error tolerance steadily decreases, creating ever-escalating tension.
Skilled players can simultaneously attack and protect themselves through precise ball catches, while average players are forced to choose between "clearing bricks above" and "preserving the floor below" — this forms the core strategic trade-off of the game.
Life-Paddle Link Mechanic
I designed a risk-reward mechanic that binds the life system to player control ability: when a player gains an extra life by breaking a special brick that randomly appears in the level, the bounce pad on the character's head doubles in length, significantly increasing catch tolerance. But when the player makes a mistake and loses that extra life, the pad shrinks back to its original size.
This means a single mistake causes double punishment — losing both a life and the control advantage. This design gives players a clear sense of safety while holding the buff, and the drop-off when losing it amplifies tension and regret, creating a pronounced emotional rhythm throughout gameplay.