Lead Game Designer | Black Friday Overtime
An arcade game centered around the theme of limited space with a sense of dark humor
What I did — build pressure around limited space
I led a three-day arcade game-jam project that combines falling packages with box pushing. After internal tests showed players could become trapped without a response, I introduced a delayed bomb airdrop that clears boxes but can also kill the player. I aligned scoring and dismissal endings with the warehouse satire.
What I think — recovery can be another risk
The bomb restores agency without removing the pressure. Because it targets the player's current horizontal position and detonates later, clearing space requires planning an escape. That trade-off keeps the rescue mechanic inside the game's central feeling of working under conditions that are slipping out of control.
Design process
Gameplay:
Our team have explored several options to fit the theme of “Limited Space”. Consequently, we came into agreement that the limited spaces fits seamlessly with an arcade game featuring leaderboard, especially in scenarios where player cannot fully control the game progression. As the central concept is set, our team then starts to prototype the gameplay.
Based on the central concept, we incorporated the gameplay of Tetris and Push Box into the design of core game loop. Player must quickly organize falling boxes while ensuring they do not obstruct player movement. As the spaces becomes increasingly constrained due to the stacked boxes, player will struggle to manage boxes and hence experience the sense of powerlessness and lack of control, which fits the emotion we intended to convey.
Polish:
After developing the initial version of the game and conducting several rounds of internal playtests, our team observed a crucial limitation: players lacked the ability to counteract when boxes hindered the protagonist's vertical or horizontal movements. To refine the game mechanics and enhance player engagement, I introduced a new feature - the bomb airdrop.
This feature allows players to call in a bomb airdrop, where a bomb box is deployed and targets the protagonist's current horizontal position, detonating after a brief delay. The explosion disperses surrounding boxes from its epicenter and can eliminate the player if they are within the explosion range. This nuanced mechanic significantly alters the game's dynamics at pivotal moments, making it more challenging and requiring greater skill. The addition of the bomb airdrop has transformed our game into a more complex and engaging experience.
Cutscene:
Since Black Friday Overnight embraces a theme of dark humor, our team was committed to ensuring that this tone was reflected not only through gameplay but also in every details within the game.
To this end, we refined elements such as cutscenes and scoring mechanisms. By using a low salary as the player's score and incorporating branched ending scenes featuring various dismissal letters, we aimed to permeate every aspect of the game with dark humor. These enhancements spotlight the grim realities of challenging work environments, ensuring players experience the intended satirical commentary throughout their interaction with the game.
