Cutescape

2025
PC
Made for GamesNow! Game Jam - Made in Unity

Cutescape was conceptualised while brainstorming on the theme of 'Cute'. Social media has increased consumption of ‘cuteness’, with corporate algorithms capitalising on it as a drug to reel people into a illusory world where everything is happy and positive. This provides a huge amount of pleasure, but erodes our sense of reality, and most importantly, our ability to connect with other people. We wanted to show this feeling through a game, and especially through the act of movement, which is why we settled for a platformer - a space where you are ‘moving’, and shifting between the two worlds with a press of a key, as easily as you can pull out your smartphone and enter the realm of the internet.

I designed the level in a way that players find more ease in navigation and more pleasing aesthetics and stories from the people in the ‘Cute World’. However, I also wanted them to think midway through the game if this world is as pleasant as it seems. Based on the number of friends or followers they make by interacting with the people in both these worlds (and a shift in tone with the aesthetics), one of two endings gets triggered, prompting the player to look back at their actions - whether they should spend more time with the real people or the cute people.

With Cutescape, I wanted players to think about the nuances of how ‘Cute’ has evolved into toxic positivity and how its constant consumption has made us lose touch with authentic human connections. Toxic positivity and escape into the cute world does make things easier, but the question we wanted to raise in this game is, “What does this escape cost?” 

Check the commentary video for a deep dive into the design process: