Rising Tide

Inspiration

I wanted a small survival game built around a lifeguard who has to save himself. The ocean is both the source of building materials and the danger that makes leaving the tower a risk. Wooden planks, palm leaves, and discarded objects become improvised shelter. The visual direction combines a front-facing 2.5D camera with the low-poly models and rough textures of older PlayStation games.

What it does

Rising Tide is a portrait survival game where a lifeguard collects ocean salvage, escapes sharks, and builds a makeshift tower above a rising sea. Its PS1-inspired 2.5D world and one-thumb controls support short runs built around the risk of one more trip into the water.

How we built it

The project began as a 2D browser prototype and was rebuilt with Three.js, TypeScript, and Vite. Blender scenery and shark assets became GLB models, while coral artwork remains on lightweight planes. After testing the supplied Blender lifeguard, I chose the earlier blocky character with exaggerated procedural swimming, running, and climbing. The swimmer turns toward its actual direction of travel, and a simple bone rig brings the sharks' bodies, tails, and fins to life. Touch movement and keyboard controls share a gameplay simulation.

I used Codex to implement and revise the game, with separate agents assigned to gameplay evaluation, UI work, and the character pipeline. The redesign responds to hands-on feedback: sharks should pursue immediately, swimming should respond directly, and building should create visibly makeshift additions above the original tower.

Challenges we ran into

Adding 3D depth did not automatically make the game more enjoyable. The first version gave sharks a long warning pause, forced upward buoyancy, and interrupted play with frequent upgrade choices. These made the action feel slow. The revision emphasizes direct underwater steering, deliberate ladder climbing, fewer automatic bonuses, and stronger shark pressure. A vertical height guide helps players compare the tower, ocean, and personal best.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

I'm proud of turning a simple 2D prototype into a playable, mobile-friendly 2.5D survival game with a distinctive PS1-inspired style. One-thumb controls connect swimming, collecting salvage, and building a visibly improvised tower into one continuous loop. I also built expressive character and shark animations, interactive water with splashes and underwater lighting, and an original procedural soundtrack. Seven rounds of agent playtesting helped me improve controls, escape opportunities, and the balance between collecting resources and surviving the rising tide.

What we learned

Control feel and urgency matter more than a long feature list. Hands-on criticism was more useful than treating an agent's visual score as proof of fun. The character changed direction twice: the supplied Blender model was exported and animated, then the simpler blocky lifeguard returned because that was the preferred look. Preserving both assets made that decision reversible.

What's next for Rising Tide

I want to tune the risk and reward of deeper salvage through repeated playtesting, test performance on physical phones, and improve accessibility and audio feedback. Additional salvage types and environmental events should support the existing collect, escape, and build loop without adding unnecessary input.