Rocket Island
Ein schnuckliges Puzzle Game mit einzigartigem Flair
Rocket Island was a project I accompanied from prototype to release. Originally intended as a small-scale puzzle game with just a few months of development time, it quickly evolved into one of HandyGames’ prestige projects.
In Rocket Island, players upgrade hexagonal tiles on a sinking steampunk island to prepare and launch rockets that carry the population to safety on the Moon. A competitive multiplayer mode allowed players to challenge friends and beat high scores.
During development, the game became a highlight internally — we collaborated directly with Google on their then-top-secret Google Game Services, and Rocket Island was even featured at Google I/O 2014.
Development ran in parallel with a major Townsmen expansion, which posed an additional challenge to our small, focused team. Despite its modest scope, the game became a standout example of creative execution and strategic design within tight constraints.
ocket Island is a stylized steampunk puzzle game with unique hex-based mechanics and fast-paced strategic gameplay. Originally released in 2013, it quickly became a standout premium title, garnering over 1.4 million downloads across platforms.
Set in a world where players must launch rockets to escape a doomed Earth, Rocket Island blends clever planning with quick decision-making across a richly illustrated comic-style interface. Its innovative multiplayer mode and game services integration made it a highly engaging experience on mobile.
I joined the project during its final development phase, contributing to:
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Game design (game modes & core mechanics)
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Balancing & testing
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UI/UX design
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Monetization strategy
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Game services integration
The game was built with a custom Cocos2D-X engine in C++, and developed by a compact team of about six people over just a few months — a tight, agile effort with strong creative energy.