Overview
Balloon Bash is a bonus mode in Dig In! An Excavator Game. It's a high-score arcade experience built around skillful excavator arm control, adding replayability beyond the main game’s levels.

I contributed to concept development, power-up design, difficulty tuning, UI refinement, and playtesting. I also resolved key technical issues and created a hardcore “Focus Mode” variant.

The mode challenges players to destroy rising target balloons within a time limit, blending quick reflexes with strategic power-up use to celebrate the game’s milestone of 300,000+ downloads. As of 2025, Dig In! has grown to over a million downloads.

Celebrating 300,000+ Downloads with a High-Score Arcade Mode
4-min read

This page covers:

• Designing a replayable, skill-based arcade experience

• Defining and tuning power-ups and difficulty progression

• Editing scripts to create and balance gameplay

• Conducting playtests and iterating based on player feedback

• Identifying and resolving technical challenges

Concept & Goals
To celebrate Dig In! reaching over 300,000 downloads, we wanted to add a fresh, replayable experience focused on mastery of the core excavator controls. 

After a brainstorming session at a local coffee shop, the team landed on a “hit the targets” arcade mode inspired by Super Smash Bros. Melee's Target Test. The existing gameplay is grounded by the excavator’s stationary position, encouraging players to focus on precise arm movements so we found that this mode could expand the core experience in an achievable way. This update would need to be completed within a two-week sprint and provide a fun, skill-based alternative to the main levels.

Gameplay & Mechanics
In the new bonus mode, players use the excavator, now outfitted with a rock crusher, to destroy as many target balloons as possible before time runs out. Each round spawns a set of balloons:

• Targets: Stationary balloons that must be destroyed to progress

• Time Balloons: Floats upward, hitting these adds time to the countdown but requires quick reflexes

• Bomb Balloons: Hitting one stuns the excavator for several seconds, imposing a time penalty

• Power-ups: Gifts attached to balloons. Includes speed boosts, armor, and shock waves that clear nearby targets

Balloon Bash features casual and hard difficulties, plus a “Focus Mode”, a hardcore experience with no power-ups or time balloons, where every balloon hit adds one second.

Design & Implementation
I worked closely with the team to define the backlog and manage tasks throughout the sprint. Key contributions included:

• Concepting and defining power-ups and their effects

• Tuning the difficulty curve by adjusting spawn rates and hitboxes in Unity, especially to introduce mechanics progressively in early rounds

• Designing feedback systems like the excavator’s stun animation and balloon jostling to communicate game states clearly

• Collaborating on UI elements to ensure visual consistency, such as matching the time balloon and timer colors

• Helping conceptualize the level layout to support fair and engaging gameplay

During development, I discovered a critical movement bug where the excavator’s body rotation was limited by animation frames, causing it to stop unexpectedly if rotated too long in one direction. I also worked with the team to optimize models and Unity settings, improving performance and responsiveness.

Playtesting & Feedback
I conducted playtests at a local mall. I asked players to play the tutorial in standard mode to familiarize themselves with controls. Key insights included:

• Shadows improved spatial understanding and helped players line up targets

• Time balloons were initially unclear and needed better introduction and visual cues

• Balloon types were introduced too soon, overwhelming players with too many new things at once.

• Many elements needed to be tuned for a smoother difficulty curve

Post-playtest adjustments included increasing power-up durations, fine-tuning the speed boost, simplifying instructions to highlight time balloon rules, and spacing out the introduction of game elements over the first few levels.

Additional Contributions

• Created the entire Focus Mode by editing scripts and configuring editor settings

• Co-wrote instructions and the score screen text to enhance player understanding and motivation

• Thoroughly played the build for quality assurance

Retrospective & Future Opportunities
This sprint demonstrated how quickly a focused mode could extend player engagement by spotlighting core skills. Future improvements might include:

• More explicit visual telegraphs for incoming time and powerup balloons. For example, maybe little tufts could appear in the surface of the cloud moments before a balloon emerges. 

• It's not clear to me that this mode aligns as well as it could with the player base. Players seem to enjoy the simulation aspect of Dig In! most, so while this mode provides a skill-based challenge I wonder if there was a way to make it more grounded and in line with the rest of the experience. 

• There's opportunity to connect Balloon Bash to the main game through unlockable excavator cosmetics tied to high scores.

Key Takeaways

• Leveraging existing mechanics in new contexts can deliver engaging, replayable content on a tight timeline

• Creative thinking and experimenting can lead to new types of gameplay with little effort.

• When people are involved from the start and contribute to shaping the idea, team engagement is stronger

CONTACT

blagania@gmail.com
LinkedIn