Equilibubble

Equilibubble
Global Game Jam 2025

A physics-based balancing arcade game where you drop objects of different weights onto a bubble level, keep it steady, or lose a life. Three levels of rising difficulty, plus an endless mode for players who want the real challenge. Built with a team in Unreal Engine.

Problem
The jam's theme naturally pointed toward a bubble-shooter — the obvious, overdone choice. The challenge was designing something that used the "bubble" concept in a fresh way, while still being buildable and balanceable within the jam's timeframe.

Approach
We started from competitor research: I analyzed existing arcade and physics-balance games to identify mechanics worth borrowing, which steered the concept away from shooting and toward physical balance. From there, I worked with the other game designers on the foundational documentation — writing the MDA framework and defining the core loop — to keep the whole team aligned on what the "fun" actually was before building anything.

Key Decision
Choosing a balance mechanic over a shooter meant the entire difficulty curve had to come from physics — object weight, drop timing, platform tilt — rather than from enemy patterns or scoring systems. This shaped the decision to structure progression as three discrete levels plus an endless mode: the levels teach the physical rules one at a time, while endless mode removes the safety net for players who've internalized them.

Outcome
A complete arcade prototype with a distinct identity — the competitor research paid off in avoiding the obvious bubble-shooter trap. The game is published on the official Global Game Jam 2025 page.

My Contribution

Game Design: I took part in the brainstorming phase and helped steer the concept away from a bubble-shooter and toward a balance-based arcade game. I worked on the initial documentation with the other game designers, including the MDA document and the core loop, and led competitor research to identify mechanics worth building on.

UI/UX Design: I designed the game's UI details in Photoshop and implemented them in Unreal Engine, using type and color research tools to define the font and color palette.