Starchasers: Mini Games Mayhem

Space Maze Mini Game
Big Boss Kitty Mini Game
Castle Maze Mini Game
Crazy Blocks Mini Game
Dungeon Maze Mini Game
Neon Run Mini Game
Iceberg Dash Mini Game

Inspiration

I enjoy high-energy mobile multiplayer party games in fun, imaginative, and offbeat environments, and I wanted to build a World like this. When I learned about the World streaming capabilities in the Horizon Desktop Editor, I knew I’d found a great way to bring my idea to life: a multi-map challenge that’s effectively 7 mini games in one, each game its own unique World. I was inspired by the multi-map concept of Fall Guys and Stumble Guys, the mini games in Roblox and Fortnight, and the unifying theme of collecting items that I used in my previous World, Mall Mayhem. I wanted to make sure players can join the fun anytime – no need to wait for a lobby to fill – and players are never eliminated, so they don’t need to watch and wait for the next game.

What it does

“Starchasers: Mini Games Mayhem” is a fun party game for up to 10 players, though solo gameplay is an option. Players enter the World in a lobby that serves as a social space with leaderboards, quests, selfie spots, and victory trophies. When they start the game, a loading screen shows them which random map they’ll play in Round 1; they return to this loading screen for Rounds 2 and 3. For each round, a separate and unique World is streamed in a quick and seamless transition — no doors, menus, or portals.

Each map (World) is a custom game with unique mechanics, design, landscape, and obstacles, but for all maps, the simple objective is the same: collect as many stars as you can in 90 seconds. I had so much fun creating these different maps — from castles to icebergs to outer space to classic arcade-inspired gauntlets. The first round is always a runner, the second round is always a maze, and the third round always features the Boss Kitty, a giant robot cat with a smile and an attitude. In each level, a custom UI tracks time remaining and stars collected, and a scoreboard shows progress after each round. Players can join the game anytime and find the fun right away. The number of available stars adjusts for the number of players to improve fair play. After 3 rounds, players return to the Trophy Room, where the top 3 winners and their scores are triumphantly displayed.

How we built it

I’m a solo artist/developer, and I used many of the amazing tools available in the Horizon Desktop Editor, such as custom model imports, World streaming, custom UI, nav mesh, Gen AI skyboxes, and of course TypeScript. To enable the 3-round World streaming mechanic, I had to plan carefully to ensure all the scripts communicated effectively across Worlds. For the game assets, I used Blender 3D, Gimp, and Photoshop.

Challenges we ran into

Combining this many Worlds/maps in one, each with different game mechanics, required a lot of troubleshooting, debugging, and patience to ensure a smooth and optimized gameplay experience. Also, optimizing graphics and scripts for smoother gameplay took a lot of patience and attention.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

This is my most ambitious and complex project out of all my Worlds. I’m proud I executed this multi-map concept via World streaming, and how well it works. I’m also glad I decided on a single, simple objective for each round: Collect all the stars you can. This helps new players find the fun immediately, even though the challenges they face are different each time. I’m also proud of how I enabled players to join the game anytime and play to the end – there are no eliminations, no waiting for the next game to start. Mostly I’m proud I was able to take my wild idea for “Starchasers” and bring it to life.