Mobile iOS Pachinko- Shipped Title

Context:
A mobile game set in the world of SEGA’s Super Monkey Ball, where the goal was to create a pachinko-style game with a loose narrative focused on Aiai saving his friends.

Key Challenges:

  • Translating the classic Super Monkey Ball brand into a new mobile format.
  • Working within a small team to deliver a full game pipeline.
  • Adapting assets from Flash as the industry transitioned away from SWF formats.

Brand & Story

Challenge:

  • Develop a game that stayed true to the beloved Super Monkey Ball franchise, while introducing new elements for a pachinko-style gameplay.

Solution:

  • Integrated a light story about Aiai’s quest to save his friends, making the game more engaging for players while maintaining the charm of the original series.

My Role:

  • Helped craft the story and worked on various game components to ensure a cohesive, brand-aligned experience.

Outcome:

  • Delivered a mobile game that stayed true to the Super Monkey Ball universe, resonating with fans of the franchise.

Cinematics Creation

Challenge:

  • Create mini-cinematics to serve as transitions between unlocking different worlds, moving the story forward and adding narrative depth to a pachinko-style game.

Solution:

  • Storyboarded and animated each cinematic sequence, ensuring smooth transitions that drove the narrative.

My Role:

  • Led the creation of the cinematics, handling both the visual and animation aspects of the sequences.

Outcome:

  • Produced memorable and fun mini-cinematics that enhanced the game’s storytelling and contributed to player engagement. This was one of the most enjoyable parts of the project for me.

Generalist Role

Challenge:

  • With only three artists/animators on the team, we needed to take on multiple roles to ensure all areas of development were covered.

Solution:

  • I worked across multiple areas of the pipeline, contributing to UI design, background art, and sound feedback, helping the small team deliver a full game.

My Role:

  • As a generalist, I had a hands-on role in a variety of tasks, allowing me to have significant creative input in multiple aspects of the project.

Outcome:

  • Helped successfully complete the project despite the small team size, ensuring high-quality contributions across multiple areas.

Flump Exporter Development

Challenge:

  • The game was built entirely in Adobe Flash during a time when the industry was shifting away from using SWF files, which made it difficult to integrate assets into the game engine.

Solution:

  • Collaborated with a talented engineer and a co-worker to develop Flump Exporter, a tool designed to convert Flash assets into a format compatible with the game engine.
  • The tool was later released as open-source software and used by companies like Nickelodeon for website animations (I worked on a few of these as well).

My Role:

  • Worked closely with the engineer to define the tool’s functionality and ensure it met the project’s needs.

Outcome:

  • Developed an essential tool that not only solved the immediate issue but also went on to have a broader impact, including use by external companies like Nickelodeon.