Team Members
Joy Lim: Designed all 2D assets (logo, intro, UI), the 3D background environment. Joy also designed and built the custom controller, ensuring a seamless integration of visual elements with the game mechanics.
Azu De: Served as the producer and contributed to sound design, as well as the creation of 3D assets.
Jose Mireles: Focused on the animation and development of 3D assets, bringing the game's visual elements to life with dynamic movement and interaction.
Jing Chang: Collaborated with Jing on programming, ensuring smooth gameplay and refining the game’s functionality.
Terry Lim: Worked on programming, contributing to the development of core game mechanics and interactive elements.
Game Design
This game was developed over a two-week period, which we designed a custom controller using the Xbox Adaptive Controller to enhance accessibility and create a unique player experience. Out of the three project themes—making tea or coffee, crafting paper, or building furniture—we chose to focus on furniture assembly. The inspiration came from the rhythmic sounds and patterns that naturally occur when using tools like hammers, sparking the idea of combining music with gameplay.
To push the concept further, we developed a two-player game where collaboration is key, yet players also have the freedom to take individual actions. Set in a whimsical furniture shop named "EKEA" (Expertly Crafted and Easy Assembly), players take on the role of workers tasked with assembling furniture for customers. The game blends rhythm-based mechanics with creative problem-solving, where every action—whether hammering, sawing, or assembling—has a musical component. Players must synchronize their actions to the beat while working together to meet the shop's quirky demands, making the process of building furniture both engaging and fun.
The duality of the gameplay, allowing both collaborative and solo actions, adds layers of strategy and coordination, ensuring each playthrough is dynamic and interactive. The game's concept captures the essence of turning a mundane task like furniture assembly into a playful and musical experience.
Target Audience
EKEA is designed to appeal to families and children, casual gamers, music and rhythm game enthusiasts, educators and therapists, as well as DIY and crafting communities. Its unique blend of creativity, collaboration, and music makes it a versatile experience that can engage a wide range of players.
Game Flow and Level Design
EKEA is designed to guide players through a structured progression of gameplay using two primary tools: a hammer and a saw. The game begins with a simple tutorial level, introducing players to the mechanics of sawing wood to the desired size and hammering pieces together. This initial stage ensures that players are comfortable with the controls before moving on to more complex tasks.
The gameplay progresses through four distinct levels, each focusing on a specific component of the chair-building process:
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Chair Leg Construction: Players start by crafting one of the chair legs, learning to measure and cut the wood accurately while hammering it into place.
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Second Chair Leg: After successfully completing the first leg, players move on to construct the second leg, reinforcing their skills and understanding of the tools.
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Spindle and Swivel Assembly: In this level, players learn to create the spindle and swivel mechanism, introducing new challenges and requiring a more nuanced approach to assembly.
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Seat Creation: The final level culminates in crafting the seat, where players must apply all the skills they’ve acquired throughout the previous levels.
This structured approach not only helps players build confidence in their abilities but also enhances the sense of accomplishment as they progress through each stage of chair assembly. By combining these mechanics with the rhythm-based gameplay, EKEA creates an engaging experience that challenges players while immersing them in the whimsical world of furniture crafting.
Controller Design and Creation
To create an immersive experience, it was crucial for the controller to function as realistically as possible, mimicking the motions of a saw and hammer. In our initial design, we utilized the two large buttons on the main Xbox Adaptive Controller as the hammer controls—one button for each player. I crafted two cardboard hammers to enhance the tactile sensation, simulating the act of hammering. For the saw, I designed a two-handled version where each player controlled one handle. The saw was balanced on cylindrical sticks attached to the sides, with a box below serving as a table to hide two smaller buttons. As the saw moved left or right, these sticks would hit the buttons, causing the saw on the screen to cut in the corresponding direction.
However, during playtesting, we encountered several issues. The saw only registered movement when the buttons were precisely hit, leading to missed inputs, especially when players tried to cut quickly but didn’t pull hard enough. Additionally, the hammer buttons were difficult to see and were placed too close together, resulting in frequent accidental presses.
To address these problems, I designed a second version for both the hammer and saw. For the hammer, I separated the buttons and placed them directly in front of the players, making them easier to see and reducing accidental presses. I also created a spring-like structure to hide the buttons underneath, giving the appearance of nails in wood to maintain the immersive feel. Without this, the large buttons in front of the players would have felt out of place and visually disruptive.
For the saw, I reinforced its structure with five layers of cardboard, making it more solid and durable. Instead of using simple buttons, I switched to variable triggers, which are pressure-sensitive and allow for more precise control. This adjustment enabled us to register different levels of input based on how much the trigger was pressed, reducing the likelihood of missed cuts. Additionally, I refined the saw’s design to ensure smoother left-to-right motion, minimizing frustration during gameplay and creating a more seamless experience for players.
Inspiration
To enrich our game with depth and narrative, we aimed to create a compelling backstory that explains the purpose behind the furniture players are crafting. Initially, we envisioned a diverse cast of customers in the furniture shop, including aliens with various body structures—some with long legs requiring specially designed chairs and others with elongated torsos needing taller chair backs. However, this concept proved too ambitious to execute within our two-week timeline.
Instead, we refined our focus to a single, memorable customer: Mr. Humpty Dumpty, a beloved character from a classic nursery rhyme known for his unfortunate tendency to fall off walls. This shift allowed us to streamline our narrative while still providing a sense of purpose for the players' actions. In EKEA, players take on the role of dedicated workers tasked with creating a custom chair specifically designed to keep Mr. Humpty Dumpty safe and secure. This focus not only adds a charming narrative element but also enhances gameplay by integrating the story into the core mechanics, making each furniture-building task meaningful and engaging.
Through this approach, we blend creativity with storytelling, ensuring that players are not just assembling furniture but are also part of a whimsical rescue mission to help a classic character avoid a fall.
Character and Story design
Drawing inspiration from the classic nursery rhyme, Humpty Dumpty takes on the role of a whimsical yet fragile customer in our game. In this reimagined version, Mr. Humpty Dumpty has a distinct personality. He’s slightly cracked—both physically and metaphorically—after his latest fall from the wall, but he remains optimistic and determined to find a solution. His design reflects his famous egg-like appearance, but we added small, humorous details to make him more engaging, such as a patchwork bandage on his head, symbolizing his fragility. His formal yet patchy clothing suggests a character who tries to maintain dignity despite his notorious clumsiness.
In the game’s intro, Mr. Humpty Dumpty comes into the EKEA shop after narrowly escaping disaster, with only a small crack on his head. He requests a custom-designed chair to keep him securely in place the next time he’s on the wall. His expression and mannerisms reflect both his anxiety about falling again and his high hopes for the shop’s solution.
The story presents two possible endings, hinging on the player’s success in crafting the chair:
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In the good ending, Mr. Humpty Dumpty receives his chair, which is carefully placed on the wall. As he cautiously sits down, the chair emits a faint squeak, but he remains secure. His face lights up with relief and joy, and he expresses deep satisfaction with the craftsmanship.
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In the bad ending, everything starts the same, but after Mr. Humpty Dumpty sits down and the chair squeaks, it suddenly collapses under him. The unmistakable sound of an egg cracking fills the air as he falls, shattering completely, leaving a humorous yet tragic scene behind.
This dual-ending narrative, combined with Mr. Humpty Dumpty’s lighthearted yet fragile character design, adds depth and humor, keeping players emotionally invested in both the crafting process and its outcome.
Character Design
Background Design
In our initial design, we aimed for a minimalist aesthetic, focusing the players’ attention entirely on the work area. To achieve this, we placed a spotlight directly over the workbench and kept the rest of the background in shadow. The intention was to create a focused, immersive environment where the players could concentrate on the hammering and sawing. However, during the first round of playtesting, we received feedback that the dark background felt overly dim and even gave off a slightly eerie vibe. Additionally, the low visibility made it harder for players to hit the buttons on beat, diminishing the overall experience.
Based on this feedback, we shifted our approach to create a more inviting and functional environment. We designed a 3D workshop setting that grounded the players in a realistic, yet playful space. However, since the main gameplay revolves around the creation process—sawing, hammering, and assembling the chair—we didn’t want the background to distract from these core activities. To strike a balance, we opted for a low-poly design for the environment, using simple shapes and forms. The color palette was purposefully desaturated to avoid drawing attention away from the vibrant tools and the chair being built.
This new design creates a sense of place without overwhelming the player, ensuring that the focus remains on the task at hand while maintaining a lively, workshop atmosphere.
Model
Textured
In Unity with lighting
In Game
UI & Handbook Design
For the UI design, I aimed to capture the essence of a traditional woodworking and furniture shop by incorporating elements that reflect the theme. The text throughout the game was designed with a wooden texture and sharp, hard edges, evoking the feeling of being in a rustic workshop where solid craftsmanship takes center stage. This stylistic choice tied in seamlessly with the overall aesthetic of the game.
One of the more playful aspects of the UI is the progress bar, which I designed using multiple facial expressions of Mr. Humpty Dumpty. Rather than relying on conventional numerical indicators, we created a visual gauge of Mr. Humpty’s satisfaction level. As players make progress in building his chair, Mr. Humpty’s expressions shift, providing both a functional and humorous way to track how well they’re doing. A happy Mr. Humpty represents success, while a concerned or worried expression signals that things may be going wrong.
To further immerse the players in the experience, I designed a working manual that act as the game’s tutorial. This manual mimics the kind of instruction booklet you might receive with a furniture purchase, complete with diagrams and simple step-by-step instructions. We printed out physical copies of this manual and handed them out to players before they started "making" the furniture, enhancing the real-world connection to the gameplay and giving them a tangible guide to refer to throughout the game.
Text Design
Expression Design
Manual Book Design
Final Game Play