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.

At a glance

My role

Solo developer, designer, and 3D artist

Core challenge

Funny dog-like movement that still feels responsive

Built with

Unity, C#, Blender, Substance Painter

Result

Playable WebGL build with custom movement and reactive AI

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. I compared each revision against playtest feedback and adjusted the controls, physics, and build performance.

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 whose feedback improved the controls and pacing.

Project Note

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