Cranky: The Squirrel Annihilator

A solo Unity prototype — play as a pug chasing squirrels with analog paw controls and physics-driven humor. Rebuilt from the ground up after the 2024 game jam version.

The Solo Evolution

Cranky began as a quirky game jam prototype and evolved into a full solo project where I reimagined the concept from the ground up.

You play as a determined pug chasing squirrels across chaotic backyard and forest environments. The movement system was designed to capture the clumsy, eager energy of a real dog, blending humor, exaggerated physics, and focused gameplay.

Play WebGL Build

Cranky — Interactive 3D

Core Mechanics

Analog Paw Running:Players alternate L1 + R1 (or keyboard keys) to simulate physical front paw motion, adding a rhythmic, tactile feel to the dog's movement.
Reactive Squirrel AI:I programmed squirrels to run, dodge, and react dynamically to the player’s approach using a custom proximity-based behavior system.
Physics-Driven Humor:The game leans into "clunky" physics to emphasize the comedic nature of a pug's movement, inspired by Fall Guys.

Development Journey

As a solo developer, I handled the full production cycle—from original character modeling in Blender to AI systems and optimization in Unity.

A major milestone was rebuilding the movement system mid-development to reduce hand fatigue while keeping the playful “dog-like” immersion. This taught me the importance of player-centric iterative design.

Tools & Technologies

- Unity (Gameplay Systems, WebGL Build)
- Blender (Modeling, Rigging, Animations)
- C# (Programming & AI Scripting)
- Substance Painter (Textures, UI Assets)

Overcoming Challenges

Balancing awkward physics with responsive controls and making all systems work smoothly in WebGL required constant iteration and testing. This project pushed me to experiment, fail fast, and adapt as I improved each build.

Downloadable Documents

Game Design Document Dev Notes Level Design (Before/After)

Asset Credits & Acknowledgments

- Unity and Reddit dev communities for guidance and troubleshooting.
- Professors and classmates at Montgomery College for feedback and support.
- Free asset creators on Unity Asset Store and Pixabay for audio/visual resources.
- Early playtesters who gave brutally honest feedback that improved the game.

Project Note

This page documents the solo prototype evolution. The original one-week team jam version is documented separately as Cranky (Game Jam 2024).