2015
Microbes Game
A mobile arcade game with custom hand-drawn creatures, gameplay assets, abilities, and interface design.
Role
UX/UI Designer / Illustrator
Platforms
iPad
Duration
2 weeks
Scope
Game UI, Visual Style, Illustration, Character Design, Game Assets, Interaction Design
About the Project
Microbes Game was a mobile arcade game built around a follow-motion mechanic: microbes moved across the screen while the player followed a target with a finger to neutralize it using a laser. The project included the complete visual direction for the game, from custom creature illustrations and gameplay effects to menus, challenge screens, abilities, obstacles, and supporting interface elements.
Challenge
Turn an early functional game concept into a complete visual experience with distinct enemies, readable gameplay states, special abilities, and a consistent interface. The game required several microbe types with different behavior, visual obstacles, laser effects, and dedicated ability controls while keeping the action understandable during fast gameplay.
Approach
I designed the game interface and manually created the visual assets needed for gameplay. The work covered creature design, game states, ability icons, environmental graphics, menus, challenge and story screens, and the visual treatment of gameplay effects such as freezing and neutralizing microbes.
Outcome
The final design turned the original gameplay brief into a complete visual system covering the main game, menus, progression, challenges, abilities, creature types, obstacles, and interaction states.
Game Overview
From brief to game world
Microbes Game was built around a simple follow-motion mechanic: moving microbes had to be tracked with a finger while a laser gradually neutralized them. The visual system had to support several enemy types, abilities, obstacles, gameplay feedback, and different game modes without losing clarity during play.
Gameplay System
Designing distinct gameplay states
The original brief defined four different microbe types, obstacles, and three special abilities: Nuke, Freeze, and Charge. Each element needed its own visual treatment so the player could quickly understand enemy type, state, and available actions during gameplay.
Illustration
Creating the microbes by hand
The creature set was illustrated manually and designed to make each type visually recognizable.
Color, silhouette, facial expression, and shape were used to distinguish the different microbes and their frozen states.
Visual Feedback
Making gameplay feedback visible
Gameplay required immediate visual feedback for actions such as neutralizing microbes, freezing enemies, and activating special abilities. Effects and state changes were designed to remain visible against the dark underwater environment.
Main menu combining Story, Challenges, Info, and purchases within a custom laboratory-inspired visual direction.
Story
Progressive levels unlocked as the player advanced through the game. The original brief described a four-level progression structure.
Challenges
Challenge mode introduced separate gameplay goals together with a limited number of attempts.
Design Process
From functional specification to final design
The starting point was a functional design brief describing the game mechanic, menu structure, progression, creature types, obstacles, laser effects, and special abilities. My task was to translate that structure into a complete visual system and production-ready game assets.
