Calvin Yang

Explod-O-Motive is a narrative puzzle experience where the players take on the role of a detective attempting to solve a mystery on a moving train before a bomb detonates. The goal of this project was to design a puzzle that required the use of a physical item outside the game to progress, encouraging players to think beyond the context of the screen.

My primary role on the project involved designing the puzzles and implementing the interactive systems that supported them. I scripted many of the interactions between objects and characters, as well as scene transitions. Designing the puzzles required balancing clarity and challenge so that players could logically piece what they needed to do. I also worked closely with the rest of the team to ensure version control, scripts, and gameplay mechanics were properly integrated and paced with the experience.

One of the main challenges was simply designing a puzzle that needed a physical item without breaking immersion or confusing the player. I really needed to playtest and iterate carefully in order to get the reaction I wanted out of players. This project helped strengthen my ability to design interactive systems that support both gameplay mechanics and narrative progression.