John Can Aygin

John Can Aygin


EvoCatcher - Itch.io Game Jam

Game Dev Document

I participated in a game jam from March 1-10, 2024, where I served as the UI and Game Programmer in a team that created EvoCatcher. We placed #12 overall in the jam with our Suika-inspired evolution game with a scientific twist.

The game puts players in the role of a scientist who must catch and evolve different species. Think Tetris meets Pokemon evolution, but with physics-based gameplay. Players move left and right to catch falling creatures in their bowl, trying to combine same-species specimens to trigger evolutions.

As the UI programmer, I implemented:

  • Main menu and game over screens
  • Real-time score tracking system
  • Evolution stage indicators
  • Space management warning system
  • Responsive UI elements that scale with screen size

On the gameplay side, I worked on:

  • Core movement mechanics for the scientist’s bowl
  • Species evolution trigger system
  • Collision detection between same-species creatures
  • Physics-based bowl tipping mechanics
  • Particle effects for evolution animations

We implemented three distinct species (Rabbit, Fish, Bear), each with 5 evolution stages and unique physical properties that affect gameplay. The trickiest part was balancing the physics to make each species feel distinct while maintaining fair gameplay.

Built with:

  • Unity Game Engine
  • C# for game and UI logic
  • Unity UI system
  • Custom physics system
  • Particle system for evolution effects

Placing #12 in the jam was a great achievement for our team, and the project helped me improve my skills in rapid prototyping, UI design, and physics-based gameplay programming. Game repo here: https://github.com/atenajoon/UDSJam-29


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