Red’s Journey · Cross-Platform Game Design
A browser-based game reimagined for iOS, Android, and a custom-built arcade cabinet.
Highlight: Designed and adapted a game experience across platforms, evolving gameplay, interactions, and UI from web to mobile and physical environments.
Role: UI/UX Director, Senior Front End Developer, Visual Designer
Tools: Illustrator, Photoshop, CSS, HTML
Metrics
3 Platforms
Web → Mobile → Arcade
2 Player Mode
Expanded gameplay experience
Cross-Platform UX
Click → Touch → Physical Controls
Skills & Proficiency
Overview
Red’s Journey began as a browser-based game focused on visual storytelling and interaction.
As the project evolved, the experience was expanded into a native mobile game for iOS and Android, and later into a custom-built arcade cabinet, transforming it into a fully immersive, multi-platform product.
The challenge became not just designing a game — but designing a consistent experience across entirely different environments.
The Challenge
Each platform introduced a different way for users to interact with the game:
- Desktop relied on click-based inputs
- Mobile required touch-first interactions
- Arcade introduced physical controls and shared gameplay
The experience needed to remain intuitive, engaging, and visually consistent while adapting to these constraints.
Design Goal
Create a seamless and engaging game experience that translates across platforms while maintaining:
- Opportunities for expanded interaction (multiplayer)
- Intuitive controls for each environment
- Consistent visual identity
- Smooth gameplay and pacing
Experience Design
The game was designed around progression, interaction, and immersion.
Core Flow:
Player Input → Movement → Visual Feedback → Progression
Each platform required adapting this loop:
Arcade → physical controls and shared screen interaction
Web → mouse-based interactions
Mobile → touch gestures and simplified UI
Web Version (Foundation)
The browser version established:
- Core gameplay mechanics
- Visual style and tone
- Interaction patterns
- Game pacing
This version served as the foundation for all future adaptations.
Mobile Adaptation (iOS & Android)
Transitioning to mobile required rethinking interaction and layout.
Key Adjustments:
- Converted click interactions to touch gestures
- Simplified UI for smaller screens
- Optimized layout for portrait/landscape use
- Adjusted pacing for mobile play sessions
The goal was to maintain immersion while making the experience feel native to mobile devices.
Arcade Experience (Physical Interaction)
The project expanded beyond digital screens into a custom-built arcade cabinet
(built with help from Andres Gaete — arcade-pi.com)
This introduced an entirely new layer of interaction:
- Physical controls
- Shared, in-person gameplay
- Tactile feedback
The arcade version brought a sense of nostalgia and physical engagement, transforming the experience into something more social and immersive.
Multiplayer Mode
To enhance the arcade experience, a two-player mode was introduced.
Impact:
- Added strategy and competition
- Encouraged social interaction
- Increased replayability
This shifted the experience from individual gameplay to a more dynamic, shared environment.
Visual & Interaction System
Across all platforms, consistency was key:
- Unified visual identity
- Consistent motion and feedback
- Clear interaction cues
- Adaptable UI components
The system was flexible enough to evolve while maintaining a cohesive experience.
Outcome & Impact
Red’s Journey evolved from a single-platform concept into a multi-platform experience.
- Created a more immersive and engaging experience across environments
- Successfully adapted gameplay across web, mobile, and arcade
- Introduced new interaction models (touch + physical controls)
- Expanded gameplay through multiplayer functionality
Reflection
This project reinforced the importance of designing for context, not just screens.
Each platform required different decisions, but the goal remained the same:
- Create an experience that feels intuitive and engaging wherever it lives
- It also highlighted how expanding beyond digital into physical interaction can significantly enhance user engagement and emotional connection.