Summary
Type: Game
Completed: Released
Acquirable: itch.io
My Role: Game Design
Time Frame: 3 Weeks Part-Time
Time Frame: 3 Weeks Part-Time
Overview
Parallels is an interactive music video created for a musician whose work was being showcased at a public event. The experience needed to function as a game when a player was present, but also run successfully on its own when no input was detected. The project had a 'nice to have' technical constraint that it has a HTML5 build so it can be shared easier.
As the musician was torn between two songs, I suggested framing the project as an interactive music video built around the general mood of their work. One track was atmospheric and techno, so the first level takes place in space. The other was a lofi track inspired by the musician’s connection to Japan and the popularity of Japanese lofi visuals at the time. My work focused on gameplay structure, environment responsiveness, visual style solutions and technical problem solving for browser builds.
Audience
The project was designed for:
• People attending a physical music showcase
• Casual players experiencing the game for the first time
• Viewers who may not actively play but will still watch the experience unfold
• Players familiar with lightweight indie or browser-based games
The aim was to create an audiovisual experience that communicates the mood and personality of the musician’s work, regardless of whether the player is interacting.
Core Gameplay Concept
The player enters the level with only one audio layer playing. As they collect audio pickups:
• Additional layers of the track are revealed
• The environment begins responding to the music
• Visuals grow richer and more expressive
• The level gradually comes alive with the full composition
The goal was to mirror how a full track builds up over time while giving players agency in how they reveal the music.
My Role
Game Design
I contributed to the overall design direction, including:
• Suggesting the interactive music video structure
• Designing the dual-theme approach (Space and Japan)
• Ensuring the level flow matched the tone of each song
• Structuring the gameplay around the gradual reveal of audio layers
Visual Design Support
Due to the two-week development period, the artist could not produce the full visual set needed. I proposed and prototyped a pixelation filter using:
• A render texture
• A lowered output resolution
• A stylised, lofi-friendly pixel aesthetic
This solution supported the tone of the lofi track and significantly reduced art production time.
Systems And Technical Design
I handled multiple technical and design challenges:
• Syncing environment elements to audio layers
• Implementing audio pickup logic
• Creating automatic movement for unattended play
• Solving HTML5 limitations for AI, shaders and audio data
• Building a fallback pathing solution that worked without NavMesh
When the player provides no input for 30 seconds:
• The player character automatically moves to the next audio pickup
• The experience continues smoothly for event spectators
• The musician’s full track plays as intended
HTML5 Technical Solutions
Unity’s HTML5 build presented significant limitations. I addressed these through:
• Replacing NavMesh movement with tweens between Vector3's
• Baking audio data into text files to avoid runtime access issues
• Designing around shader failures on some browser versions
• Accepting that grass and certain material effects would not render in WebGL and instead making level design tweaks to accomodate
These adjustments allowed the project to remain functional in a browser showcase setting.
What I Delivered
• Gameplay structure built around audio layer progression
• Dual-theme level concept based on the musician’s tracks
• Pixel filter prototype to reinforce style and reduce art workload
• Auto-movement system for unattended play
• Audio pickup system and environment reactions
• Technical solutions enabling the project to run in HTML5
• Collaborative support for art, level mood and audiovisual pacing
Why This Shows My Design Strengths
Parallels demonstrates my ability to design around artistic goals, technical constraints and audience context. I helped reshape the project from a simple game idea into an interactive audiovisual experience that supported the musician’s identity. I solved multiple production problems by proposing creative technical solutions, adapting mechanics to platform limitations and ensuring the experience remained expressive and readable.
The project highlights:
• Strong creative ideation
• Practical design under tight timelines
• Technical adaptability between platforms
• Consideration for passive and active players
• A sensitivity to mood, tone and thematic presentation
What I Would Do Next Time
If I revisited Parallels, I would:
• Add a disclaimer at the start explaining potential HTML5 issues
• Provide a fallback mode for browser versions where shaders fail
• Offer optional simplified visuals when material effects do not load
• Expand debugging tools to test audio and environment syncing without relying on WebGL builds
• Improve clarity around audio pickup interactions for first-time players
• Scale the black bars that force the game into a 21:9 ratio depending on the actual ration of the screen - it shouldn't appear at all in ultra wide screens.
These changes would make the project more robust, especially for players running the game outside of controlled showcase environments.
