Dorian Kavadlo

Overview

Squash, The Bug is a fast-paced platformer built for the Out of a Hat Jam, a game jam I organized and hosted as president of Maryville University’s Game Design Club. Participants were challenged to randomly draw a mechanic, genre, and visual style from a hat to inspire their projects.

Our team pulled Spin Dash as the mechanic, Platformer as the genre, and Arts & Crafts as the visual style. The result was a vibrant platformer where you play as a tiny beetle named Squash!. Squash can roll into a ball and launch forward with momentum, smashing through obstacles and enemies across a world made of cardboard, paper, and ink.

Gameplay

• Use arrow keys to run and jump through platforming challenges.
• Press Shift to roll up into a ball and launch forward with your spin dash ability.
• Roll through levels and bounce off enemies using speed and momentum.

Design Highlights

I designed and led the jam, contributed to level building, and helped develop the game’s core systems in Unity. With a one-week deadline, we focused on a tight gameplay loop and a strong visual identity. The handcrafted art direction made everything come together, from ink-drawn hazards to construction-paper platforms.

The spin dash mechanic served as the centerpiece for level design, encouraging players to build speed and smash through enemies or chain jumps across hazards. We leaned into momentum-based movement to make Squash feel fast and satisfying to control.

Every asset was hand-crafted from paper, scanned into Photoshop, and then digitally arranged by our artists to build levels that matched our designs.