Sustainable Circus

Introduction

The game was developed in collaboration with Hello Escape, Unity-based game that emphasises educational game design about sustainable ecosystems through storytelling and puzzle-solving.

Sustainable Circus is a puzzle adventure game that takes players on an immersive journey through a circus. As players explore the circus, they meet and assist different characters, each with a unique environmental problem. The game emphasizes the importance of protecting the environment, using puzzles related to nature, ecosystems, and sustainable energy.

• Arnold, the Circus Master: Arnold is your guide throughout the circus, taking you from one challenge to the next, helping you assist the circus and its members.
• Jungo, the Clown: Jungo needs your help to get dressed using recycled materials. Each item has a different decomposition lifespan, highlighting the importance of choosing sustainable materials.
• Pascal, the Juggler: Help Pascal organize his juggling equipment by categorizing it based on the materials they are made of, emphasizing the importance of waste separation and recycling.
• Christine, the Aerial Hoop Dancer: Christine takes you on an informative journey about what it takes to build a smartphone, revealing the amount of waste generated in the process.
• Melissa, the Eco-Chef: Melissa needs your help to prepare sustainable snacks using locally sourced and eco-friendly ingredients. She teaches players about the impact of food choices on the environment, highlighting the benefits of reducing waste and supporting local agriculture.

Talking Development

During my time with Hello Escape, one of my key responsibilities was developing and refining a robust gameplay framework that served as the backbone for all of the company's games. As the lead programmer, I worked extensively on this framework, which became the foundation for every new project, constantly expanding with new features and mechanics.

This streamlined approach allowed games to be developed quickly and almost entirely within the editor, with only very specific mechanics requiring additional scripting.

With this framework in place, we were able to efficiently develop levels and puzzles, translating the game design documents and visual assets provided by designers and artists directly into gameplay logic. This pipeline allowed us to quickly implement and test new features, ensuring that each element of the game aligned with the creative vision while maintaining high production speed.

Localization of the game

This game was designed with multiple regions in mind, so from the start, we focused on English, Spanish, and French as primary languages. With the modular localization system we developed, we created support for easily adding language-specific elements such as audio, images, and text.

The system is set up to handle seamless swapping of localized audio, text, and images directly from the Unity editor, streamlining the integration of new languages. Additionally, it includes event-based calls accessible from within the scripts, allowing more control and customization for certain mini-games.