Catch Hearts Now

A cute tap-to-play mini game: catch falling hearts, dodge misses, beat your best score. Perfect for Valentine vibes.

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Catch Hearts Now đź’–

Inspiration

I wanted to build a tiny, instantly understandable mini-game that feels good to play in short loops — perfect for Valentine’s vibes. The goal was “zero explanation needed”: tap, catch hearts, beat your score.

What it does

Catch Hearts Now is a simple arcade loop:

  • Tap to start
  • Hearts fall from the top
  • You catch them with a bottom catcher
  • You score points, hear feedback sounds (catch / miss), and race against a timer
  • “Game Over” screen appears and you can restart instantly

How I built it

Built as a 2D game inside Snapchat Lens Studio:

  • UI layout with a background, catcher, hearts container and HUD (score + time)
  • Touch input to start/restart
  • Simple spawn logic for falling hearts + collision checks with the catcher
  • Score + timer system
  • Audio feedback for start, catch, miss and game over

AI / tooling support

I used AI tools to move faster as a solo maker:

  • Brainstorming and step-by-step planning (game loop, scene structure, submission checklist)
  • Rapid iteration on copy/taglines and submission text
  • (Optional) AI-generated sound/visual drafts for quick prototyping

Challenges

  • Getting the UI to feel clean and readable on mobile
  • Balancing heart spawn speed so the game feels fair but exciting
  • Making the “start / end / restart” loop smooth and satisfying

What I learned

  • How to structure a small game loop in Lens Studio (UI + logic + audio)
  • How much preview/thumbnail and clarity matter for judging + discoverability
  • Shipping fast is a skill: small scope + strong loop = real progress

What’s next

I plan to keep developing this:

  • Better visuals (cute heart sprites + animations)
  • Difficulty curve (speed up over time)
  • Combo / streak bonus
  • Polished start/game-over screens and more satisfying FX

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