Plenty of Fish in the City

Plenty of Fish in the City is a 3D isometric adventure game where a lost heron searches for fish in city fountains. The game was built in response to a prompt to evoke a specific emotion in the player. We chose longing.

Project Info

Tools: Unity 3D, Perforce
Team Size: 2
Duration: October - November 2023

Role: Primary Game Designer

Designed 2 exploratory 3D environments emphasizing pacing, spatial flow, and emotional tone, guiding player movement through environmental composition and controlled sightlines
Scripted and implemented 5+interactive systems in C#, prototyping mechanics in test scenes before integrating them into full levels
Refined progression cues to reduce navigational friction in isometric view, adjusting interaction timing and environmental readability based on playtests
Integrated environmental audio systems to reinforce atmosphere and strengthen player orientation, ensuring sound cues supported navigation and emotional cohesion within each space

Developmental Process

Plenty of Fish in the City was built by me and Julian Avrith using a rapid two-week development pipeline, emphasizing prototyping and player feedback. I created small test scenes to trial interaction systems, refined progression cues based on playtesting, and ensured all systems were optimized for the isometric perspective.

Processes Used

Prototyping: I built minimal test scenes to validate mechanics before level integration (interaction scripts, pickup timing)
Iterative Design: After peer playtests, I made targeted changes—e.g., adjusting level for isometric perspective—so interactions felt immediate and readable

Results

This project strengthened my ability to design and implement gameplay systems under tight deadlines while balancing technical scripting and creative design. It gave me valuable experience in integrating environmental storytelling with interactive mechanics, a skill I now bring to larger-scale projects.

Ui trigger and sound effect on interactable fountain