Breakout - Dark Mode

A unique take on the classic Breakout, made for a game engineer job application.

• Role: Game Developer (Design + implementation)

• Context: Job test

• Tools: Unity, C# (Observer pattern, Factory pattern, Object pooling, CSV based levels)

• Timeframe: 3 days

• Status: Finished prototype

What I owned / delivered

• Redesigned Breakout to be a unique sensory experience, focused on play feel rather than scoring.

• Scalable code architecture, using factories, object pooling, observer pattern, and scriptable object based configs.

• Level design via spreadsheets, loaded in the game by a custom CSV parser.

• Simple shaders and VFX to support a minimalist, but engaging aesthetic.

• Musical sound effects dynamically pitch shifting instrument sounds on a chromatic scale.

What to Notice in Build

• Easy to understand and easy to enjoy.

• Unique bricks and powerups to surprise and delight.

• Musical chaos.

Constraints

• Technical challenge: The game had to use CSV based levels.

• Design limitation: The game had to feature powerups.

• Conflicting goals: The project both had to show how I work on prototypes AND my ability to create scalable code.

• Prototype scope: I had 3 days to complete the project.