Isle Be Drowned

Isle Be Drowned is a serious game about surviving on a sinking island while reflecting on the futility of resisting climate collapse under capitalist logic.

Players navigate a grid-based map, collect resources, and try to survive as long as possible before the rising sea swallows everything. Scoring is based on movement and coin collection — but there is no win state, only delay.

🔧 My Contributions

• Co-designed the core gameplay systems, including sea-level progression and item mechanics

• Conducted balance testing using sensitivity analysis across grid size, step limits, and spawn intervals

• Designed and implemented the full UI flow in Unreal Engine (UMG + Blueprint), including game HUD and menus

• Helped structure early paper prototypes and guided iteration based on player feedback

🎮 Key Mechanics

• Water rises steadily with each player action (step-based time system)

• Players choose between score (coins) or survival tools (shoes, buckets)

• All runs end in submersion — high score is the only goal, reinforcing the game’s critique