Independent video game development
I won't lie about it: at the time, I thought it was weird that kid wore that dinosaur costume for Halloween two years in a row. But looking back at it now, I can appreciate the passion and dedication that must have driven that decision.
Many years later, I had the unique opportunity to design an action platforming computer game. The gameplay had to be kept simple, so the concept must be unique. I don't know exactly why my mind went back to that old dinosaur costume, but somehow, in the back of my mind, I understood that it must have been empowering for that kid to wear it. Coupling that with the raw power of a child's imagination and my own personal memories of buying candy with my pocket money on my way to school, the dino-suited, bubble-gum-loving hero Rexzilla was born!
The game itself is a "collectathon" (sometimes also called a "collect-em-up") platformer with some minor puzzle elements and a possibly-too-challenging difficulty curve. It pits the titular hero against an army of octopus-esque aliens who have seized his gumball horde for no discernable reason (why do villains do anything, anyway?).
"This game looks so cool!" one of my testers told me. He wasn't particularly good at it, but just seeing it made him insist on giving it another go.
The visual design (both of the graphics and the overall world) is engineered to emphasize child-like imagination through minimalism and unified colour cohesion. Its colourful characters are a throwback to days of childhood crayon-scribbling that are simultaneously timeless in their simplicity. One professional reviewer noted that it was "pristine" with "an above average level of charm".
But, in the end, I like to think that the best part of Rexzilla is just the opportunity to put that dinosaur costume on again, squish some evil aliens, and take back your bubble gum.