The Hunted Ghost Tablet Game

👻 Overview

The Hunted Ghost is a story-driven puzzle game that follows BOO, a ghost being possessed by a wicked witch to become a demon. Players are challenged to find 5 hidden items within a time limit in each scene to rescue BOO from this curse. The game is designed to blend eerie visuals, rewarding interactions, and intuitive UI to create an engaging experience for casual gamers.

Role

Visual Design, Game Design

Tools

Adobe Illustrator, Figma, Adobe Aftereffect, Adobe Photoshop, HTML/CSS/JS

Scope

Solo project — research, ideation, design, and coding

🧠 Understanding the problem

Hidden object games often struggle to maintain player engagement beyond a few levels, especially when the gameplay lacks emotional stakes or narrative depth. With The Hunted Ghost, I wanted to explore how a simple puzzle mechanic "finding hidden items" could be elevated through storytelling, atmosphere, and character empathy.

🕹️ Core Challenge

The product vision

The primary goal of The Hunted Ghost was to design a game interface that merges storytelling and puzzle-solving in a fast-paced, emotionally engaging environment. My design objectives were:

🕹️ 1. Create Immersive Gameplay

  • Design an interface that supports the eerie, mysterious tone of the story without overwhelming the player. Every visual element needed to serve the game's narrative or function.

    • ⏱️ 2. Emphasize Time-Limited Challenges

  • The core gameplay mechanic relies on finding hidden objects before time runs out. I wanted to design a clear and intuitive timer system that motivates players without inducing panic.

    • 🎁 3. Integrate Reward Feedback

  • Winning a scene earns the user a prize. I aimed to make this reward system feel satisfying through animations, sounds, and UI transitions.

    • 🔄 4. Support Replay Value

  • Design choices like randomized object placement, layered UI animations, and evolving scenes were aimed at encouraging repeat play and sustained engagement.

    • 🔍 Research

    Before diving into design, I studied the landscape of hidden-object and casual puzzle games to understand what makes them engaging or forgettable. I explored popular titles like June's Journey, Hidden Folks, and The Room series, paying close attention to:

  • How players interact with scenes (scrolling, zooming, hints)
  • How atmosphere and story affect immersion and retention
  • How games introduce challenge without frustration

    • 🕵️ Key findings

  • Many hidden object games rely heavily on static visuals and repetitive UI, which can reduce replay value.
  • Strong visual theming and character motivation improved emotional engagement.
  • Players responded positively to reward loops, such as unlocking animations or collectible items after completing levels.

    • 🧩 Player Feedback & Informal Testing

    To validate ideas, I shared early sketches and animated mockups with a few casual gamers and peers. Their feedback highlighted:

  • The importance of a clear and non-intrusive timer.
  • Enjoyment of story elements that connected each scene together.
  • Desire for subtle animations and sound cues to make rewards feel satisfying

    • These insights shaped my design strategy, focusing on visual clarity, narrative hooks, and satisfying micro-interactions.

    🎨 Visual Design & UI

    The visual direction of The Hunted Ghost was crucial to immersing users in a spooky-yet-charming world. Every design decision aimed to strike a balance between eerie atmosphere and playful puzzle-solving.

    Icons and UI kits

    Illustrations

    🧱 Information Architecture

    Designing the information architecture (IA) for The Hunted Ghost required balancing storytelling with user flow. The game needed to be simple enough for quick entry but rich enough to support layered interactions, rewards, and narrative progression.