BluEyes

Project Overview

BluEyes is a 2D platformer designed around two core abilities with ties to the central narrative. Developed over 1 month during my MSU-Partnered IndieCade Summer Internship for Climate Jam 2025.

My Project Contributions

Designed ~30 Minutes Of Platforming Levels
Refined Player Controller For Responsive & Satisfying Movement
Utilized Player Feedback To Balance Difficulty And Pacing
Programmed Core Gameplay Systems To Streamline Cutscene And Level Design
Produced A Full Soundtrack With Leitmotifs To Match Story Themes And Pacing
Collaborated To Write 150+ Lines Of Dialogue
Placed First Place In The Game Jam After Ratings From Judges And Peers!

Gameplay screenshot of BluEyes

Visual Showcase

Gameplay showcasing the "Climb" ability

Sewer level showcase

Gameplay showcasing the "Rocket Jump" ability

Gameplay showcasing how both abilities work together

Tower level showcase

A final timed segment at the end of BluEyes

A walkable City segment of BluEyes

A dynamic cutscene made using my cutscene manager

An NPC under the control of BluEyes

Lessons / Post-Mortem

Things That Worked

Narrative And Gameplay Connection
- By adapting the BluEyes chip's narrative into the core mechanics, we created a strong link between the narrative and the gameplay, which strengthed the cohesion of the world and made for better player immersion.
Player Controller Felt Fluid
- Play testers often complimented the feel of the player controller, and their feedback helped to ensure that gameplay felt smooth. Playtesting helped refine midair control, coyote jumps, and gravity feel.
Player Options Added After Game Jam Ended
- After the game jam ended, I returned to BluEyes to add frequently requested accessibility options, such as an "Accessible" difficulty, visual options, and control customization that let players play in whatever way makes them most comfortable.

Things I'd Improve

Player Expectations Initially Too High
- The player controller and level design were tuned around my skill level, which alienated players with low 2D platformer skill. Alongside not providing any difficulty customization, the experience was very frustrating for players new to the genre.
- A strong lesson in getting player feedback early and often to make sure that difficulty is tuned and eliminate developer bias.
Unskippable Cutscenes
- During the alpha and beta builds of the game, cutscenes were missing key quality of life features such as skippable dialogue, which made cutscenes a chore. Paired with several required NPC conversations, this lead to some players quitting entirely.
- Through tuning text speed, adding dialogue skipping, and making non-critical NPCs optional, I put the control back in the players hands, and received positive feedback about the additions.