Space | The Borderlander

Slo Moe’s Space Salvage was our first 3D game, built for the LowestPoly GameJam in March 2022. The jam was–honestly–more about low-poly tech demos than actual games, but we wanted to make something you could actually play.

You’re Moe. Moe is a sloth. Moe runs a space salvage company, which is the sort of career choice that makes perfect sense for a sloth in zero gravity. Guide Moe’s ship through rocks and debris to collect cargo (conveniently shaped like crates of bananas, because even in space, sloths have brand standards).

WASD rotates your ship, spacebar boosts in whatever direction you’re facing. The catch is that boosting commits you to a straight line–no turning until the boost runs out and recharges. So you’re constantly weighing “do I boost now and hope nothing’s in the way, or do I drift slowly and run out of time?” It’s a simple tension, but it works.

This was Fintan’s project on itch.io (under the 7isanoddnumber account), and our first time wrestling with 3D in Unity. Turns out that going from 2D pixel art to 3D–even low-poly 3D–is a completely different discipline. But the low-poly constraint actually helped, because we couldn’t over-scope the visuals.

Play Slo Moe’s Space Salvage on itch.io

After coming 5th in our first game jam, we were feeling pretty confident. Dangerous, that.

Airlocked! was our entry for Make A Game, The Game Jam, where the theme was “Connected.” We went with a dual interpretation–aliens that are physically connected to each other when they multiply, and a power grid that connects the ship’s systems. You’re the last crew member on the USS Arkenfeld, and the ship has an alien infestation. The aliens multiply every time you open a door, and you can only flush them out through the airlock if they’re all touching each other. So you’re running around, opening doors, repairing junction boxes to keep the power flowing, and trying to herd aliens into a corner.

Great concept. Really clever puzzle mechanics. The kind of thing that sounds brilliant when you’re explaining it at 1am on day two of the jam.

The execution, though? The game more or less didn’t work. We had to make a silent YouTube tutorial video because players couldn’t figure out what was happening–which, in hindsight, is a pretty clear sign that something has gone wrong with your game design. If you need a video to explain a puzzle game, you haven’t made a puzzle game. You’ve made a riddle with a download link.

Built in Unity, runs in the browser. It’s pixel art, it looks decent, and if you squint hard enough you can see the good game hiding underneath the bad UX. One of those “great on paper” situations.

Play Airlocked! on itch.io (good luck)