Kelly Lin
Hamster Hooky
Overview
Hamster Hooky is a 2D puzzle game created in a 48-hour game jam, following the theme 'handmade.' Players must strategize to transport more and more truant hamsters to the next destination using a motorcycle.
Genre: Puzzle
Engine: Unity (C#)
My Roles & Contribution
Gameplay Parameter Tuning for Playtesting & Replayability
To ensure instant replayability within the 48-hour jam, high-impact parameters were prioritized—gravity, acceleration, friction, and weight distribution were first adjusted, then fine-tuned through rapid testing. We iterated frequently to let players fail, laugh, and try again within seconds. This tuning process helped align the game’s core loop with that addictive “Tetris-like” feedback loop—where players blame themselves, not the game, and immediately want to retry.
Gameplay & Player Feedback
Challenge Design through Level Pacing & Emotional Tension
My goal was to design not just obstacles, but moments, especially the kind where a hamster nearly flies off, and the player catches it just in time. I structured levels around emotional payoffs: slow setups, sudden tension spikes, and joyful recoveries.
Level Loop & Gameplay
Physics-Driven Interaction and Movement Systems
Each action—from motorcycle acceleration to hamster placement—feeds into a continuous chain of physical consequences. No fixed 'correct solution' exists; instead, outcomes emerge from how weight, shape, momentum, and angle interact. The central mechanic of balancing handmade props on a handmade bike turns ordinary placement into an evolving puzzle of cause and effect.
Prop Placement and Hamster Boarding Moments
Emergent Problem Solving
The challenge was increased by shaping levels with concave terrain, asymmetrical props, and varying slopes. One level asked players to block falling hamsters using only tiny erasers; another required them to balance two large props without tipping. These designs created “aha!” moments by prompting players to experiment, fail, and eventually solve problems creatively.
Challenge Design Examples
Onboarding Through Discovery, Not Tutorials
Rather than explain mechanics with words, players will learn through cause and effect from the first 2 levels—realizing their motorcycle tips when it’s unbalanced, or that stopping too fast throws the hamster forward. By combining predictable prop behavior with natural consequences, players understand game rules on their own.
Learning through Discovery
Creativity and Humor through Open-Ended Systems
Hamster Hooky invites players to become co-designers, which creates funny moments. Every level can be solved in multiple ridiculous ways—from teetering seesaws to towering stack monsters. Players shared screenshots of their absurd creations online, many of which weren’t technically “correct” but still got the job done.
