Hooked on Taffy

Hooked on Taffy is the first full game I created in Unity, for the freshman class IM 110. Our assignment was to create a 2D platformer, and my game’s twist was that I included a swinging mechanic, which was called an ambitious choice. The game was my first significant foray into level design, art and sound design, and management of time and scope. I was the sole programmer, designer, and artist.

I wanted to make an experience with exciting moments. For that reason, the player takes a harrowing jump down an elevator shaft, flees a wall of giant taffy, and swings across a giant pit in front of the stars. I’m proud of the polish I was able to put on the game, little details that made it stand out, like the dynamic title screen, fading transitions between scenes, the back wall of the factory scrolling with parallax and varying in distance over time, and the passage of time visible through the windows.

At the student-run IM 110 Awards, Hooked on Taffy was the runner-up for Best Grappling Hook Game and a nominee for Game of the Semester.