JUNGLE PIZZA
Role
Gameplay Designer - UI/UX Designer
Description
Jungle Pizza is a hyper-casual mobile game set in a world full of monkeys!
In four mini-games, the player has to handle every step of pizza-making, from preparation to delivery to eating.
Genre
Hypercasual Mobile Game
Platform
Android
Engine
Unity
Development Analysis
For this 3-month project, made in Unity, we create a hypercasual mobile game consisting of a sequence of minigames and a functional monetization system.
As there was no particular knowledge among team members for hypercasual mobile games, our initial days were devoted to studying competitors and examining comparable games. From this research, I achieved an improved insight into the production cycles and schedules characteristic of mobile games.
Following numerous brainstorming sessions, we all settled on an unusual concept: a monkey-operated pizzeria in which each minigame is based on a various aspect of pizza production, ranging from preparation to consumption.
Understanding that the target audience is casual, we prioritized the development of an intuitive gameplay coupled with an easy-to-use yet visually appealing user interface, characteristic of mobile gaming. Market research not only gave us useful information on gameplay and user interface design but also allowed us to define a straightforward production strategy.
We prioritized easy and clean documentation, like mechanics lists and menu flow diagrams, to make implementation in Unity easier. For monetization, I recommended using an in-game currency (gems) instead of direct monetary expenses. This strategy makes people spend more by hiding the true cost of items, a common practice among mobile games.
Minigames were distributed among team members; I was working on the final minigame, eating pizza. We tried to create prototypes early on, allowing us to test and iterate as quickly as possible. We also included two game modes:
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Story mode, where minigames are completed in sequence.
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Free mode, where individual minigames can be played.
I was responsible for making the wireframes of the menu and the HUD, and then implementing them in the engine, which involved some precision collaboration between artists and programmers. This wasn't easy, however, it really improved my communication and planning skills.
In external playtesting, we got feedback on the gameplay overall and specifically on my minigame. Players found the initial button-mashing mechanism boring, so I redesigned it to incorporate more strategy:
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Players press pizza slices in order (1 to 4).
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Consume raises a thirst bar; if the bar is filled, the character is frozen.
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Players have to press a glass to consume and reduce the bar before they can proceed.
This alteration made the minigame more active and less monotonous.
In the final production phase, we focused on testing, polishing and integrating tutorials and menus with final assets. These integrations enhanced the theme of the game and polished the overall experience.
What I Did & What I Learned
During the 3 months of production for this project, I concentrated on Gameplay Design and UX/UI Design, contributing to both creative and technical aspects of the development process.
My key contributions included:
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Designing and balancing the mechanics for a mini-game to ensure an engaging player experience.
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Creating detailed wireframes for the UI screens, focusing on usability and clarity.
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Building and prototyping a complete level directly in-engine, ensuring both functionality and visual coherence.
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Implementing UI screens with functional navigation logic in-engine, enabling seamless user interaction.
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Collaborating closely with the artist to finalize UI designs and with the programmer to integrate gameplay mechanics, ensuring all elements aligned with the project’s vision.
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Listen to feedback to refine gameplay and user experience, driving continuous improvement throughout the production cycle.
During the project, I honed my ability to effectively use the engine for implementing and balancing mechanics, gaining a deeper understanding of its capabilities.
I also improved my communication skills, learning to collaborate more efficiently not only with members of my own department but also with other departments. Additionally, I strengthened my expertise in UX/UI Design and further developed my skills in managing menu navigation, ensuring a smoother and more intuitive user experience.