Whack! | Devpost

Inspiration

Players looking to escape the mundane for goofy physics, simple yet satisfying mechanics, and not just a pinch but a bucket of nostalgia inspired us to create Whack! From the tactile SFX of a button press to the playful melody of the gameplay, from the wheelbarrow in the main menu to the dug-up lawn in the play area, and from the absurdly huge mallet to the shady, dentally challenged mole on the floor — everything is designed to transport players back to their childhood.

What it does

Whack! immediately takes the player back to their childhood by dropping a mallet in their hands along with the responsibility of protecting a lawn infested with variety of moles, for as long as they can. In this rogue-like, the gameplay starts off with only a few mole hills and a lot of healthy crop but as the levels progress, the moles evolve and whacking them before they destroy the crop to dig up another hole becomes a challenge of the masters. The waves become progressively more difficult with bombs randomly popping instead of moles, testing the player's reflexes. However, the difficult waves are balanced by 1. a cool-down period between every wave that presents an opportunity to revive the crop by watering the holes and 2. an opportunity to collect a special ruby from the hands of a rare, thief mole. The player gets to challenge themselves and their friends for a high score.

How we built it

We are a team of three, and Whack! is only our second game. Despite starting a week late, we ramped up quickly by applying learnings from our previous MR title. We used Figma for the UI and concept/UX documentation, C# in Unity for development, free online sources and Adobe Premiere Pro for music & SFX, Blender for 3D models, and Pinterest for art inspiration.

Challenges we ran into

All three of us worked overtime beyond our regular jobs. Midway through the project, the outsourced 3D artist backed out, forcing us to quickly find a replacement. Later in development, we realized the “avoidance” mechanic in the original concept was difficult to communicate clearly, so we brainstormed and made a necessary, efficient pivot to solidify the experience.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

Nailing the art style, perfecting a fun and satisfying core whacking mechanic, crafting catchy and amusing SFX & music, and ultimately delivering a light-hearted, nostalgia-filled experience.

What we learned

We learned how to work faster as a team, adapt our mechanics through iteration, and handle last-minute production challenges without compromising quality

What's next for Whack!

A new enemy - locusts - and a new mechanic using hand-tracking to smack them.
Co-op and local PvP multiplayer.
A narrative layer where the player is a contractor hired to clear various infested lawns, each with unique enemies and obstacles.