Pocket Duel

Inspiration

I wanted to create something my friends would actually play on Snapchat. Turn-based games are perfect for messaging because you can take your time and the back-and-forth feels natural. Plus, RPG combat is always fun, and I thought it would be cool to bring that to Snaps.

What it does

Pocket Duel is a turn-based RPG battle game where you fight friends through Snapchat. Each turn, you choose to Quick Strike, use a powerful Power Slash (with cooldown), or Defend to reduce damage. The game has critical hits, animated attack effects, and tracks HP for both players. First person to hit 0 HP loses. Games are quick but strategic.

How we built it

Built entirely in Lens Studio 5 using the Turn Based component for multiplayer. I used JavaScript to handle combat logic, damage calculation, cooldowns, and game state management. Added animated GIFs for attack effects to make it visually satisfying. The Turn Based API handles all the snap-to-snap data transfer automatically, which made multiplayer way easier than I expected.

Challenges we ran into

Getting the cooldown system working across turns was tricky since I had to store it per player using user variables. Also, balancing Power Slash so it wasn't overpowered took some testing. The biggest challenge was understanding how roles switch each turn - you literally play both sides of the battle, which was confusing at first but actually makes the game work perfectly for asynchronous play.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

The game actually works and is fun to play! The cooldown system adds real strategy, critical hits create exciting moments, and the animated effects make every attack feel impactful. I'm especially proud that the multiplayer state management works flawlessly - HP, cooldowns, and game state all persist correctly across turns.

What we learned

Learned a ton about Lens Studio's Turn Based API and how to manage persistent game state. Also learned that simple mechanics can be really engaging if balanced well. The Turn Based component is incredibly powerful once you understand how data flows between players. This was my first real Snapchat lens and I'm shocked how much you can build.

What's next for Pocket Duel

Planning to add character classes (Warrior, Rogue, Mage) with different stats and abilities. Want to add an Ultimate Attack for clutch moments and maybe status effects like poison or stun. Long term, adding a progression system where you level up and unlock new moves would make it super addictive. Also want to polish the visuals with better HP bars and character art.

Built With

• javascript
• lensstudio