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Push the Pull

Itch

Push the Pull is a first-person puzzle game done for the 48h Global Game Jam 2022.

Manipulate objects or yourself by pulling and pushing on objects and figure out how to get to the next room. Platform your way to the exit by flinging and repulsing yourself from large objects. Pull small objects towards you or shoot them across the room. The art style was heavily inspired by Simon Kaempfer’s artwork.

The game is available on itch

Done using Unity and C#

The Game

This small game was done for a 48-hour game jam during the GGJ in 2022, we were a group of four working on this from home, for a small competition run by our university. Duality was the theme of the jam. The idea was to create a unique physics-based platformer/puzzle game and explore those ideas a bit, a simple and effective prototype to show off our design and ideas.

Right hand pulls small objects towards you and pulls you towards big objects (in yellow). Pulling for a long time enables the burst.

Left hand pushes objects from you, or you away from objects. Using the burst either flings small objects away or flings you away from big objects.

My contribution

For this game, the group decided to use my idea, so I was the lead designer. Having worked on a few small projects like these, I knew we had to have a very simple and strong idea, that would be easy enough to implement, and polish while building a few levels to test out and expand the main mechanics of the game. No focus on narrative or explaining why and why not everything was how it was, just a pure mechanics-driven puzzle game. We also wanted to have the mechanics working first so everyone could then either focus on level design or finding and creating a look for the game.

The specific work I did on the game was:

  • Come up with the main idea and lead the team
  • Implement the 1st person controller and help out with the physics/abilities
  • Help draft the design behind the game; 3 levels for the Tutorial + 4 levels exploring the mechanics
  • Design & build the 2nd, 4th & 6th level
  • Help with the general look & worked on the post-processing
  • Particle effects

Full playthrough:

This post is licensed under CC BY 4.0 by the author.

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