PERSONAL PROJECT RUNNER ARCADE MOBILE

CAVALCADE

ORIGINAL GAME CONCEPT

GAME & LEVEL DESIGNER

Adapt. React. Keep moving.

A fast-paced runner where players switch shape and color to overcome obstacles while racing through a world collapsing around them. Read the path, react instantly and use powerful items to survive the chaos.

CONCEPT &
DESIGN PILLARS

As the creator and designer of CAVALCADE, I developed the game concept, core mechanics, level structure and gameplay systems, while building the playable prototype in Unreal Engine.

The experience is built around three pillars designed to create a fast, readable and constantly evolving runner: Reflex, Chaos and Impact.

REFLEX

READ. REACT. ADAPT.
Read upcoming obstacles and instantly adapt your lane, shape and color while maintaining forward momentum.

CHAOS

RUN THROUGH A WORLD FALLING APART
The environment constantly threatens the player with collapsing paths, hazards and destruction, turning the level itself into part of the chase.

IMPACT

TURN ITEMS INTO MOMENTS OF POWER Collect and use powerful items to temporarily break the rules, destroy obstacles and transform vulnerable situations into bursts of control.

LEVEL DESIGN

CAVALCADE’s tutorial is structured as a progressive learning experience, introducing each mechanic individually before combining them into increasingly demanding sequences.

Level design controls the rhythm of discovery, using collectibles, obstacles and lane configurations to teach through play while gradually increasing the player’s cognitive load.

LANE READING

Design Highlights · Player Guidance · Movement
The opening section introduces the three-lane structure through simple collectible paths, teaching lateral movement without explicit instructions.

Obstacles are progressively introduced to make players read the level ahead, anticipate blocked lanes and reposition while maintaining constant forward movement.

Early sequences isolate individual decisions before increasing the density of obstacles. Collectibles are used as guidance tools, while lane restrictions and environmental blockers progressively shape the player’s available space.

The goal was to establish a clear visual language before introducing additional mechanics.

SHAPE & COLOR

Progressive Learning · Pattern Recognition · Decision Making
Once movement is understood, obstacles introduce the game’s central rule: matching the correct shape and color to safely cross them.

Each parameter is first learned independently before being combined, gradually increasing the amount of information players must process while running.

Walls can present different combinations of Star, Square and Round openings alongside Red, Yellow and Blue states. This creates a simple rule set capable of generating increasingly demanding situations.

Level sequences control when these decisions appear, allowing difficulty to come from combinations and timing rather than introducing additional controls.

CONTROLLED CHAOS

Mechanic Combination · Pacing · Challenge Escalation
The final sequences combine lane changes, jumping, shape and color matching, collectibles and items while the environment becomes increasingly unstable.

Hazards such as ground holes, high obstacles and blocked paths force players to alternate rapidly between traversal and transformation decisions.

Items introduce temporary rule-breaking opportunities, while environmental destruction and the pursuing vacuum reinforce urgency without compromising the readability of the playable path.

GAMEPLAY FEATURES

CAVALCADE is built around a small set of interconnected systems designed to create fast decisions, constant movement and short bursts of empowerment.

From transformation mechanics to traversal and items, each feature reinforces the same principle: understand the situation quickly, adapt and keep moving.

SHAPE & COLOR SYSTEM

Transformation · Pattern Recognition · Reactive Gameplay Players can independently change their shape and color to match upcoming obstacles, creating the central decision-making layer of CAVALCADE. Three shapes (Star, Square and Round), combine with three colors (Red, Yellow and Blue) to create nine possible states. Because both properties can change independently, simple inputs can generate increasingly demanding sequences as reaction windows become shorter and other traversal decisions are introduced.

MOVEMENT & TRAVERSAL

Lane Switching · Jump · Forward Momentum
Constant forward movement is combined with responsive lane switching and jumping, keeping navigation simple while allowing the level to create varied traversal challenges.

The three-lane structure provides a predictable spatial framework that can be modified through blocked paths, ground holes, high obstacles and environmental restrictions.

Movement was designed to remain immediately readable so the player’s attention can stay focused on anticipation and decision-making.

ITEMS & POWER-UPS

Rule Breaking · Tactical Choice · Player Empowerment
A single item slot gives players temporary ways to break the normal rules of the run and recover from dangerous situations.

Dash allows players to smash through obstacles, Shield cancels a failure, Shape and Color Jokers temporarily remove transformation constraints, while Bomb destroys obstacles ahead.
Limiting the player to one stored item turns pickups into tactical choices rather than passive bonuses.

CHASE & WORLD CHAOS

Pressure · Environmental Events · Spectacle
CAVALCADE turns the environment itself into a threat, with destruction and a relentless pursuer reinforcing the feeling that the world is collapsing behind the player.

Collapses, explosions, moving scenery and objects being pulled away create a continuous sense of instability around an otherwise readable gameplay path.
These events are designed to increase perceived pressure and spectacle without obscuring the information players need to make their next decision.

MISSIONS &
RESPONSIBILITIES

From initial concept to playable prototype, I designed and implemented CAVALCADE’s core experience, translating a simple runner premise into interconnected gameplay, level design and progression systems.

My work covered both design and hands-on Blueprint prototyping in Unreal Engine, with a strong focus on readability, responsiveness and progressive learning.

Designed the core gameplay loop around shape, color and fast decision-making.
Built the tutorial and level progression to introduce mechanics progressively through play.
Prototyped the main gameplay systems in Unreal Engine using Blueprints.

Designed obstacles, collectibles and items to create varied challenges and moments of empowerment.
Tuned movement, pacing and feedback to maintain readability and responsiveness at high speed.
Iterated on levels and systems through testing, balancing and polish to strengthen the overall player experience.