Strange New Tides
Strange New Tides is a 2.5D town-life sim with a cosmic twist, created in just 72 hours during Ludum Dare 56 by a 40-person team. Built in the spirit of Animal Crossing but starring a tiny Cthulhu named Munch, the game blends cozy exploration with darkly humorous undertones. I joined the team as a Marketing Designer, but I also helped UI efforts across the production cycle. While I wasn’t involved in core game design, this project showcased my strengths in rapid iteration, team collaboration, and UX-minded thinking under real-world production constraints.
MARKETING DESIGNUI DESIGN
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strange new tides
Strange New Tides is a 2.5D town-life sim with a cosmic twist, created in just 72 hours during Ludum Dare 56 by a 40-person team. Built in the spirit of Animal Crossing but starring a tiny Cthulhu named Munch, the game blends cozy exploration with dark humor. I was a versatile team member, providing marketing and interface design throughout the production cycle.
Engine: Unity
Role: Marketing Designer
Team Size: 40
creative collab & visual expression
I led the creation of Marketing visual assets, where I balanced the genre’s approachable tone with the eerie whimsy of our underwater protagonist. In designing the game’s logo, I positioned the eldritch elements into a cozy game aesthetic to ensure it conveyed that same tension. Starting with quick sketch ideation, I explored multiple stylistic directions before landing on a design that incorporated Munch’s features and signage motifs reminiscent of town-life sim games. Intentionally using cozy game visual motifs while having our baby Cthulhu protagonist as the focal point captured the game's core theme of ‘making a strange place home’.
ui Contribution & production goals
In preparation for the Steam launch, I designed the in-game pause menu. Identifying the core visual language throughout the game, I reinforced those elements in the menu design to cleanly integrate with the existing UI. I chose a centered modal layout, determining that players would spend minimal time in this menu before returning to the game. Analyzing established size and spatial patterns, I structured the buttons to focus the player’s attention across the menu content. Supporting the game’s pacing, I created an intuitive and easily readable Pause screen so the player can quickly get back to gaming.
outcomes & reflections
Strange New Tides was a 72-hour studio-scale jam experience where, leading up to the Steam launch, I stepped in to lay out the missing Pause screen UI and deliver assets for implementation. The Marketing Lead connected me with the Art Lead as they were aware of my previous experience in visual design. By delivering on the Marketing assets, I built trust that led to further responsibility.
