Project Overview
This was a short-form project built at the end of 2021 with the goal of creating and releasing a complete 30-minute game within a strict three-week time limit.
The challenge was useful because it forced me to focus on scope, make fast design decisions, and prioritise completion over endless iteration.
While the game is much smaller in scope than some of my later work, it remains an important project because it reflects planning, delivery, storytelling, and finishing a full playable experience.
Key Features
- Short narrative exploration experience
- Built in Unity using C#
- Designed and completed within three weeks
- Environmental storytelling and atmosphere
- Audio log system for narrative delivery
- Released as a complete playable project
The Challenge
The game was made as part of a challenge I set myself to see whether I could make and release a short game in a tight timeframe. I was very happy with the result, especially because it pushed me to focus on finishing something complete.
I used free assets and tools to build the game, and I adjusted materials in Photoshop to help shape the visual look of the environment. I was also pleased with the short story and tone I was able to create within the available time.
Technical Reflection
Looking back, this project is also useful because it shows how much my technical approach has improved since then. Some of the systems I wrote at the time would benefit from being cleaned up and restructured with what I know now.
A good example is the audio log system. In its current form it is too hardcoded, and if I revisited the project I would redesign it to be more generic and data-driven so it could manage audio playback more cleanly.
I would also improve the handling of overlapping audio. Right now, if one log is already playing and the player triggers another, the clips overlap. A better implementation would fade out the current audio, queue or load the next one, and transition more smoothly between them.
What This Project Demonstrates
- Scope management: Building and finishing a complete small project inside a strict deadline.
- Narrative design: Creating a short story-driven experience with atmosphere and pacing.
- Delivery mindset: Releasing a playable game instead of leaving it as an internal prototype.
- Technical growth: Reflecting critically on earlier systems and identifying how to improve them.