Puzzle Fungus is the result of a second year assessment, concluding the "Media Production for Interactive Environments" module. This module covered the fundamentals of game creation, such as scenes, cameras, lighting, collision detection and designing visuals around a narrative. The project brief was intentionally left open to allow for creative freedom. I decided to create a puzzle adventure game where the user must explore and complete simple environmental puzzles to collect mushroom parts. All assets except sound effects were created by me, allowing me to practice asset creation and consider how my models fit within the environment I want to portray.

I began by deciding on the features I wanted to implement. Part of this process was looking at what inspired my own work, and I quickly settled on the lower poly aesthetic seen in early console games. I intentionally moved away from realism, as although impressive, I find that it is hard to convincingly pull off and limits my freedom for exploring new techniques and styles. This move away from realism allowed me to settle on a more unique colour palette, creating cohesion throughout the game and letting me experiment with colours and the atmospheres they create. I wanted the environment to be something to interact with instead of just an area the player has to walk through. To achieve this, I decided to implement a cursor and mushrooms that light up and play a sound effect when the cursor points at them. This helps the player to feel more immersed in the environment, as they can see the results of their actions. Mushroom "trampolines" in the floor bounce the player into the air when stepped on, introducing a mechanic early on that will later be used in the puzzle. The fungus parts that the player must work to collect provide information about mushrooms, adding an educational aspect to the game and providing another incentive to play.

View of the environment (left) and example of information screen (right)

The main puzzle that the user must complete is a timed challenge utilising the previously introduced trampoline mushrooms. Upon entering a certain area, the player enters a trigger which displays a sequence of different coloured mushrooms lighting up in a certain order. The player must then jump on mushrooms on the floor in the displayed order to progress. Once the first mushroom has been jumped on, a counter appears on the screen to provide a visual aid of whether the puzzle is being completed correctly. By providing environmental clues, the player can complete the puzzle in a way that doesn't feel forced.

Scene view of the puzzle. The mushrooms along the back light up in a specific order, which must be repeated by jumping on the mushrooms in the ground.