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A 3D space-themed puzzle-stealth game built with a 5-person team — shipping 3 full levels each built around a distinct mechanic: gravity flip, time swap, and replay clone. Led the team and architected all three core systems from the ground up.
Special Theory is a 3D space-themed puzzle-stealth game developed with a 5-person team for a Video Game Design course at Georgia Tech. The game shipped 3 complete levels, each introducing a distinct core mechanic — gravity flip, time swap, and replay clone — with puzzles designed to build on each system progressively.
As team lead and primary programmer, I architected all three gameplay systems, designed two of the three levels, co-developed the AI guard system, implemented the game's full audio suite, and built a custom shader for environmental polish. The project went from concept to a fully shipped, playable game.
Gravity Flip System Architected the core gravity-flip mechanic using Unity's custom physics engine and player controller modifications. Used FixedUpdate-driven animation synchronized with slerp and deltaTime for smooth, natural transitions. Engineered adjusted raycasts to keep jumping and platform-riding stable during active gravity shifts.
Time Swap System Built a time swap mechanic that toggles interactive objects between past and present states on player input — enabling layered environmental puzzles where players manipulate the timeline of doors, platforms, and guards to progress across two full levels.
Replay Clone System Engineered the replay clone feature, which records the player's recent movement and actions then replays them as a physical in-world clone. This enables multi-instance puzzle solutions — such as holding down a pressure plate with the clone while the real player moves through the now-open door.
Level Design — Levels 1 & 2 Designed and constructed the first two levels, building puzzles using doors, moving platforms, and laser AI guards around the gravity flip and time swap mechanics. Focused on progressive complexity — each room teaches the mechanic safely before introducing combined challenges and guard interactions.
AI Guard System Co-developed the laser guard AI, implementing attack behaviour and ensuring guards respond correctly when the player activates time swap or gravity flip — so stealth interactions remain consistent and fair regardless of which mechanic is active.
Audio Implementation Integrated sound effects throughout the game to reinforce player feedback and game feel — including door open/close cues, the fan's ambient spinning sound in Level 2, and distinct audio for each ability activation (gravity flip, time swap, clone). Sound design was tuned to feel responsive without becoming intrusive.
Custom Wind Particle Shader Built a custom shader to render animated wind particles around the big fan in Level 2, giving the mechanic a visible environmental presence before the player interacts with it. The effect communicates gameplay intent visually and significantly improves the level's game feel and polish.