Pixalto is a 2D pixel-platformer that abstracts everyday interpersonal interactions and the challenges we face in dealing with them. You must navigate the many hostile and friendly characters in the world around you, shaping your actions to match the terrain and the movements of enemies.

Roles: C# Programmer, Sound Designer, Composer, Game Designer, Image Editor, User Researcher

The mechanics in Pixalto are based around choice. In Pixalto your life is your ammo. As such, you may use as much ammo as life you have. This however makes the game more difficult because you have less life.

You may also befriend friendly enemies and be rewarded with more ammo/life. After befriending an enemy they take on your hue. To make the game more interesting there is no visual distinction between hostile and neutral enemies. The last option the player has is to avoid enemies.

These interactions are meant to be metaphors for interactions in our lives. We can attack people which sometimes takes a personal toll. But it is sometimes a necessary and valid choice. We can befriend and become more like our friends and carry them with us, or we can avoid social interaction. Life is about balancing all of these actions.

User research for Pixalto consisted of playtests at the end of our sprints or after the implementation of a new feature. We used the talk aloud principle and retrospective testing to inform our design.