Star Havoc
A solo arcade shooter iterated through playtesting to counter dominant strategies and make combat the path to recovery and progression.
Design evolution
Click a node to explore
Mindmap
Each playtest exposed a system problem. Follow the route to see how Star Havoc evolved from a basic shooter into a loop built around observation, restraint and recovery.
First playable
After learning the foundations of Unity, I applied the course material in a small playable system: a player-controlled ship, incoming asteroids and a complete shoot-and-survive loop.
Design Challenges
Problem → design response
Designing against passive play
Playtesting exposed a dominant strategy and two ways to bypass the intended combat loop. I translated each observation into a concrete gameplay-system change, then tested the behaviour it encouraged.
Mindless continuous fire
Holding the fire button was the safest strategy, removing observation and decision-making from combat.
Trap enemies
Space mines end the run when shot. Players must identify targets and deliberately choose when not to fire.
Avoiding every enemy
Players could simply dodge the whole encounter, bypassing the combat loop instead of engaging with it.
Fight to recover
Kills restore health and drop coins, making combat the route to both immediate survival and long-term progress.
Permanent damage felt hopeless
As health fell, later mistakes felt increasingly punishing and some playtesters stopped believing a run was recoverable.
Layered recovery
Kill-to-heal creates comeback moments, while a rechargeable shield absorbs occasional errors without removing the stakes.
How It Plays
The core loop
Read. Decide. Recover. Grow.
The resulting loop asks players to read enemy state, control their fire, use aggression to recover and convert combat success into persistent upgrades.
Identify the Threat
Read each enemy’s colour and silhouette before reacting. Ordinary asteroids, durable molten rocks and mines demand different responses.
Choose When to Fire
Attack valuable targets, but hold fire around mines. Restraint is as important as accuracy.
Fight to Recover
Destroy enemies to restore health while the rechargeable shield creates a small buffer for mistakes.
Upgrade Between Runs
Collect coins, improve equipment outside the run and return with a stronger ship.
Play Star Havoc
Browser prototype
Try the design decisions yourself
The game loads only when you start it. For the best experience, use the player’s fullscreen option and a desktop keyboard.
If the embedded player does not load, open the original game page.
Play Star Havoc on itch.io