Pukpui Onsen – Merge & Bubble

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Inspiration

Pukpui Onsen began with the idea of a puzzle game players could enjoy at their own pace, with a small world that keeps growing between runs.

“Pukpui” is a Thai word that evokes something soft and fluffy, which became the inspiration for our round, cuddly creatures.

We wanted a satisfying merge, a well-planned combo, or a new personal best to contribute to something lasting: a companion to care for, flowers to grow, and a pet room to personalize.

The hot-spring setting and Pukpui characters connect these activities, giving players several ways to spend time in the same world.

What it does

Pukpui Onsen combines two puzzle games with pet care, gardening, and collections.

Pukpui Merge is a physics-based drop-and-merge puzzle. Drop fluffy creatures onto the board, bring matching Pukpui together to evolve them into higher forms, and manage the growing pile to keep the run going.

Pukpui Bubble is a swap-based match-3 game. Swap adjacent creatures to match three or more, create special pieces, and build combos to replenish Steam Flow and extend the run.

Both games use individual score runs with no countdown timer or stage campaign. Players can take time to plan their next move and work toward a higher score.

Onsen Classic focuses on score chasing without consumable helper items. Onsen Treasure adds helper items, Trouble Blob obstacles, and chances to discover Onsen Eggs and Rainbow Eggs. Open these Eggs to see what rewards you find.

Progress continues between runs. Player levels unlock more features and Garden plots, while pet care offers feeding, playing, and cleaning to build Bond. The pet evolves through ten forms shared with the creatures in Merge.

Players can plant, water, and harvest flowers for resources, choose accessories for their Pukpui, and decorate its room. These activities give puzzle rewards ongoing uses and create personal goals to return to.

Players can begin as a Guest. Both puzzle games and modes are free to play, with the surrounding systems accessible through normal progression. Optional Gem packs and starter bundles provide resources and faster progression, including an option for early pet access.

How we built it

Pukpui Onsen was built with HTML, CSS, and vanilla JavaScript, using Canvas-based gameplay and animation. Capacitor packages the game as an Android application.

A shared progression, inventory, and economy connect the puzzle boards with reward Eggs, pet care, the Garden, and the Shop. The interface includes Thai, English, and Japanese localization.

Supabase supports Guest identities and optional Google account linking. Google Play and RevenueCat support optional purchases, with the backend reconciling purchase results and granting paid rewards.

Challenges we ran into

The first design challenge was creating meaningful runs without a stage campaign or a ticking clock. Merge creates pressure through limited space, while Bubble's Steam Flow gives each move a cost and rewards effective matches and combos.

Balancing the two games required accounting for their different rhythms and typical run lengths. We tuned scoring and progression so time spent in either game feels worthwhile, and we can continue refining that balance as more real-player data becomes available.

The shared economy also required careful design. Coins, Petals, and Gems support pet development, gardening, customization, and Treasure preparation, so earning and spending needed to feel useful across several different goals.

Performance optimization was another major challenge. Early builds showed noticeable stuttering, so we prioritized rendering, responsiveness, and consistency to make gameplay smoother. Performance profiling and optimization will remain part of regular development as the game grows.

Adapting the browser-based game to Android also required us to handle interrupted sessions, saved progress, audio, and purchase recovery consistently.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

• Designed an original cast of Pukpui characters with ten connected forms across puzzle gameplay and pet evolution
• Built two distinct, untimed puzzle games with Classic and Treasure modes, plus playful mechanics like Trouble Blobs, helper items, and Steam Flow
• Connected puzzle runs, Treasure rewards, Eggs, pet care, gardening, collection, and customization into one shared progression loop
• Created a small onsen world that continues beyond each run through pet growth, Garden progress, room customization, and scenes that change with real-world time
• Packaged the experience for Android with Thai, English, and Japanese localization
• Integrated optional Gem packs and starter bundles through Google Play and RevenueCat

What we learned

We learned that relaxed play still benefits from clear goals. Space management, resource decisions, and personal score targets give each run a purpose, while the pet and Garden carry progress into the next session.

We also learned to treat performance as part of the play experience. Responsive controls and consistent motion directly affect how a puzzle feels, while real-player data provides the best guide for refining progression and balance over time.

What's next for Pukpui Onsen

Our immediate priority is learning from real players and using that feedback to refine scoring, progression, economy pacing, and performance as the game grows.

Rank is intentionally not active in the current release. Future plans include leaderboards, seasonal rank resets, and online play where up to four friends can compete together.

We also plan to keep the world fresh with seasonal cosmetics, themed rooms, accessories, and other updates for events such as Halloween and Christmas.

Performance will remain an ongoing focus so puzzle play, pet care, and the Garden continue to feel smooth and responsive as more content and features are added.

Built With

• canvas
• capacitor
• css3
• html5
• javascript
• revenuecat
• supabase