Lightweight Labs is a puzzle-platformer game where paint changes the weight of objects and the player. It was a group project made in two weeks for Albright College’s Fall 2024 Game Jam, and it won first place. As the project lead, I did most of the work. This includes game design, placeholder art, the main music theme, and programming. Tyler Garrick, also known as Rian Threeden, polished my artwork, and Andrew Ruoff did the title music.

The game was designed to be simple so levels could be created quickly due to the two-week deadline. I wanted a game that showcased my skills as a developer and felt like a legitimate game. The mechanics are inspired by Portal 2, Baba is You, and a flash game called [REVIVE]. 

The levels are placed in a particular order to help teach the player puzzle mechanics and ideas. A major part of the game is how different mechanics interact with each other. An example is how the paint affects both the player and the boxes. Complexity in mechanics needs to be taught to the player slowly, and the player needs to be tested to see whether they understand the ideas or not, while also keeping the game fresh. 

The best mechanics are often simple ones that expand upon the game in a major way. An example of this is the paint gun. It allows the player to shoot paint that is the same color as them. It is a simple new ability, but it adds a lot more complexity to the game and its puzzles. It also acts as a nice surprise for the latter half of the game.

Behind Bars is a first-person escape game where the player has to solve puzzles to escape a prison cell. It was a project made in one week for Albright College’s Spring 2025 Game Jam, and it got an honorary mention.

I wanted to do something different and experimental compared to Lightweight Labs. This includes making a 3D game as opposed to a 2D one. I also chose to have the game focus on vibes and emotions over general fun. The game has a liminal atmosphere that helps capture the feeling of being stuck in a prison cell, making the player want to explore and escape.

The game also has a twist at the end where the cell door closes and reveals a hidden treasure room. The player can now only look at the treasure from the other side of the bars while it rains. The theme of the Game Jam was “Out of Bounds”—where things are different on the other side. When you escape the prison, you start to question whether it was worth it or not. The outside is just as much of a prison as the inside.

I modeled everything in Blender. This was the first time I made 3D assets for Godot. The game also utilizes Foley sounds for footsteps and room noise.

Galactic Gunner is a game made in Pygame for my first computer science course at Albright College. It is an arcade-style game where the player controls a ship that can shoot at enemies using the mouse. It features a high score leaderboard system that can hold the names of five players and saves between sessions.

The main focus of the game’s design is risk versus reward. The player has to divide their attention between dodging projectiles and aiming. They can focus on dodging, which helps their survival. However, they do not obtain any points, and the enemies remain. They can instead choose to take a risk by aiming and shooting to get rid of the enemies and gain points, but that leaves them more open to being hit by a projectile and losing the game.

A lot of the enemies are designed around this idea. The main enemy has a predictable shooting pattern that switches every time it shoots. The player has to pay attention to which pattern is happening next so they do not die. The bombs do not attack the player unless they are shot, but they give double the amount of points that a normal enemy gives, resulting in both the risk and reward being balanced. Lastly, there are the bonus targets, which are hard to hit, meaning they require a lot of focus and risk. However, they grant the most points when hit. So, the reward is high.