MechHead is a fast-paced round-based arena shooter which pays homage to the genre classics. Customise your mech, smash high scores​, and unleash carnage to win the crowd's favour!

MechHead was developed over six weeks as part of Staffordshire University’s 2024 1UP placement scheme. This program brought together students from various levels of study to collaborate in a studio simulation environment at the Stoke-on-Trent campus.

When I joined the MechHead team in summer 2024 as a game designer, it was decided that the game would go through a complete refactor. In the meantime, the design team was tasked with improving replayability and making the game feel less repetitive. We identified a few areas to focus on: 

• Adding optional abilities, to help differentiate runs and allow the player to vary strategies.

• Making weapons feel more unique.

• Adding meta-progression, by redesigning the shop phase and adding permanent unlocks of new weapons and abilities.

• Giving levels a stronger identity, either by evolving existing ones or creating new ones.

I have had my hands in all these different areas, as the rest of the design team, but I especially focused on the latter 2 points. Main accomplishments include designing and integrating 2 new levels, iterating on 4 existing levels, creating a shop level and designing new abilities.