Kraken's Rampage: Cleanup Crew

Experience Kraken’s Rampage from the other side. Cleanup Crew is a long-form Snapchat game where small Skellies survive massive chaos through skillful steering, daily collectables, and progression.

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Inspiration

I wanted to explore how augmented reality-first experiences like Snapchat Lenses can act as meaningful entry points into larger game worlds. Kraken’s Rampage is a Mixed Reality game where players control a giant sea monster.. but for this lens, I flipped the perspective.

What does the world feel like from the other side?

Kraken’s Rampage: Cleanup Crew was inspired by letting players experience life as a vulnerable character .. a Skelly .. surviving the chaos caused by the Kraken. This role reversal creates empathy, tension, and curiosity, while naturally teasing the fantasy of becoming the monster in the full game.

The project was also designed with the Play Everywhere contest in mind. Cleanup Crew is a room-scale, walkable experience that works wherever the player happens to be. It can be played standing, sitting, or even while walking, turning everyday spaces into part of the game world and reinforcing that Mixed Reality gameplay doesn’t require a dedicated play space.

Beyond a single session, Cleanup Crew was designed to reward returning players. We explored how a Snapchat Lens could support longer-term engagement through persistent progression, daily collectables, and skill growth.. encouraging mastery over time rather than a one-off interaction.

What it does

Kraken’s Rampage: Cleanup Crew is a fast-paced Snapchat game lens where players control a Skelly aboard a small ship, rescuing other Skellys stranded in the water while dodging Kraken tentacles.

The game is immediately understandable and readable in short sessions, while also supporting longer-form play through escalating difficulty, unlockable ship upgrades, and daily collectables that persist across sessions. Players are encouraged to return regularly, improve their steering skill, and gradually expand their collection over time.

Upon surviving, players are presented with a clear call-to-action to wishlist the full Mixed Reality game, Kraken’s Rampage ..where they switch roles and play as the Kraken itself.

How I built it

The lens was built using Snap Lens Studio 5, with a focus on lightweight systems that perform smoothly on mobile devices and adapt to a wide range of physical environments:

  • Ship-based movement and steering using the Snap Character Controller
  • Rescue mechanics for Skellys in the water
  • Ship upgrades unlocked through gameplay
  • Obstacle avoidance using animated Kraken tentacles
  • Persistent progression supporting multi-session unlocks
  • Daily collectables designed to encourage repeat play
  • Simple win/lose states optimized for short sessions
  • Clear UI and text hierarchy tailored to Snapchat viewing habits

Special care was taken to maintain performance and readability whether the player was standing, seated, or moving through space.

Challenges I ran into

One of the biggest challenges was designing world-space tracking that felt intuitive across a wide range of players and environments. Because Cleanup Crew is a Play Everywhere experience, I had to account for players who might be standing still, seated, or moving.. each with different lighting conditions, scales, and spatial awareness.

This required careful onboarding and design decisions so players could quickly understand how their physical space mapped to the game world without feeling overwhelmed. I also balanced motion, difficulty, and camera behavior to keep the experience comfortable and readable in both casual and active play scenarios.

Another challenge was designing progression and collectables that felt meaningful without adding friction, allowing players to engage deeply over time while still enjoying quick, casual sessions.

Accomplishments that I'm proud of

  • Creating a lens that functions as both a standalone game and a marketing funnel
  • Clearly communicating a larger Mixed Reality experience through a short Snap interaction
  • Supporting long-form gameplay and repeat engagement within a Snapchat Lens
  • Designing persistent progression and daily collectables without external accounts
  • Successfully conveying two opposing player fantasies: survivor and monster
  • Building a room-scale, walkable experience that truly embraces the Play Everywhere philosophy
  • Designing a game that feels native to Snapchat rather than adapted from console design

What I learned

This project reinforced how powerful role contrast can be in game design. Experiencing the “victim” side first made the fantasy of becoming the Kraken far more compelling.

I also learned that long-form engagement on Snapchat doesn’t require complexity. Simple progression, clear goals, and daily incentives were enough to encourage repeat play when paired with readable controls and strong thematic consistency.

Additional takeaways:

  • Simplicity and clarity matter more than feature count in short-form games
  • Repetition of naming and theme is critical when links aren’t available
  • Snapchat is an effective platform for prototyping and testing player interest
  • Designing for mobility opens up new ways players engage with games

What's next for Kraken's Rampage: Cleanup Crew

Next, I plan to:

  • Add additional difficulty variations and environmental hazards
  • Experiment with combo-based replay incentives
  • Use player feedback to refine onboarding and pacing

I’ll also continue developing and promoting the full Mixed Reality game, Kraken’s Rampage, where players can wish list now and eventually play as the Kraken on supported MR headsets.

Built With

  • snapchat-lens-studio-5
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