IndieCade - Sea of Troubles

Sea of Troubles is 2D isometric educational game about community-driven climate solutions in flood-prone areas. Made for IndieCade’s Climate Jam, we drew inspiration from island communities, especially in the Dominican Republic. Our goal was to celebrate scientific progress in climate solutions while highlighting the importance of community action, tradeoffs, and the reality that no choice is perfect.

Project Info

Tools: Unity 2D, Github
Team Size: 6
Duration: June - July 2025

Role: Game Design Intern

Defined the core gameplay loop around flood escalation, wall-building, and relocation, translating educational goals into clear mechanical systems
Designed and prototyped 5 key mechanics in Unity based around building flood walls and relocating buildings to create strategic decision-making under pressure
Ran structured playtests to identify pacing issues and player confusion, adjusting level layout between builds
Integrated gameplay and narrative systems in Unity, aligning mechanical progression with the game’s educational themes

Developmental Process

Sea of Troubles was developed in 5 weeks during a 7-week internship. I brainstormed the core gameplay loop and central mechanics: designing how players build flood walls, reposition buildings, and manage space under pressure. I defined the moment-to-moment loop (evaluate rising water → speak to NPCs → choose to build or relocate → manage limited space/resources → respond to escalation). Through iterative playtests and mentor reviews, I adjusted the level layout to ensure choices felt fair and the game could be beat in multiple ways.

Early game prototype

Iterative Design: I refined level layout and core mechanics using feedback from playtesters and mentor sessions. My teammate drafted the initial version of a level, which I then iterated on significantly
Mentor Reviews: At milestone reviews, I showcased updated builds and explained loop adjustments; I then incorporated mentor feedback to refine difficulty pacing and improve readability of player choices.

Documents Used

One-Page Design Document: Used to align the core loop, player goals, and thematic intent. I refined the gameplay loop section to clearly articulate player actions, failure states, and escalation over time. Also addressed the climate topic, sources consulted, and our intended player takeaway around community-driven action and misinformation

Processes Used

Results

This project and being an IndieCade intern taught me how to adapt quickly to evolving ideas in a collaborative environment, and reinforced the importance of balancing mechanics, narrative, and thematic goals under tight deadlines. I grew in my ability to design both systems and levels in tandem, and gained valuable experience working on a game made specifically to raise awareness and explore solutions regarding climate change.