THE CHALLENGE

TURNING A SIMPLE COUNTING GAME INTO A SCALABLE, ENGAGING EXPERIENCE

When mobile gaming was still new, I wanted to create a casual game that was both fun and educational. Years earlier, as part of the founding team at XPOGames, a pioneering platform for casual social gaming, I had designed several Flash-based games. One of them was a simple time-based counting game.

For this project, I set myself a challenge:
Take that basic mechanic and transform it into a fully realized mobile game with personality, progression, strategy, and long-term engagement.

This meant rethinking everything from user flow and game mechanics to character design, reward loops, and monetization.

GETTING STARTED

CREATING A CHARACTER FAMILY AND BACKGROUND STORY

To make the experience sticky, I created a light story: A family of mischievous critters has escaped and it’s the player’s job to catch them in the correct order.

I illustrated a full character set including:

• Core critters with distinct personalities
• “Goodies” that help players
• “Baddies” that distract or reduce time

The goal was to create emotional attachment through charm, humor, and a sense of progression without adding complexity to gameplay.

PROCESS

DESIGNING GAME MECHANICS AND BALANCING DIFFICULTY

Turning a simple counting mechanic into a meaningful game required careful systems planning.

I defined and tested the following mechanics:

• Time allocation per level
• Difficulty scaling
• Introduction cadence for new critters and obstacles
• Reward loops and badge systems
• “Infinite level” formulas enabling continuous gameplay
• Monetization via in-app stage unlocking

Each mechanic was iterated and tuned until the gameplay felt intuitive, challenging, and addictive.

The UI and UX were designed to be intuitive for children while still fun for adults - a balance that required simplicity without sacrificing speed or challenge.

THE RESULT

AN ADDICTIVE, FAMILY-FRIENDLY GAME PUBLISHED ON iOS

Counting Critters launched with:

• 5 distinct stages, each with its own environment, critters, and mechanics
• Achievements and badge rewards that motivated continued play
• Unlockable stages, earned through progress or purchased via in-app purchases
• Endless mode, supported by scalable difficulty formulas
• Original illustrated character universe for emotional engagement

The final result was a fully realized indie game that was designed, illustrated, and produced end-to-end - combining product thinking, character design, gamification, and system balancing into one cohesive experience.