ArtCenter Capstone Project
Moth Mania
My capstone puzzle platformer about guiding fragile Mothletts through a collapsing cryptid research facility by balancing night vision, illumination, and escort pressure.
Moth Mania follows Leo Atlas, a former researcher using the experimental M.O.T.H.A.M. gear to recover scattered Mothletts after a catastrophic containment breach. What I wanted here was readable puzzle spaces, real escort tension, and a strange cute-horror atmosphere inside the Tineidae Anomalous Research Facility. The current build is presented as a five-level playable slice.
Core Breakdown
What Matters Most
What matters most to me in Moth Mania is the overlap between the dual-state mechanic, the escort fantasy, and the facility premise that gives each rescue real stakes.
Trailer
Moth Mania Trailer
This trailer gives the quickest read on the playable slice, the facility tone, and the cute-horror framing around Leo and the Mothlett rescue loop.
Mission Premise
What The Player Is Asked To Do
The facility has already failed. Leo is not exploring for curiosity alone; he is recovering Mothletts to calm Mothman and reduce the damage caused by the breach.
Player Role
As Leo Atlas, the player uses the M.O.T.H.A.M. gear to inspect dark spaces, navigate hazards, and bring vulnerable Mothletts to safety.
Why The Stakes Work
Returning Mothletts is not just collectible cleanup. Each rescue also helps pacify Mothman, which gives the puzzle loop a stronger emotional and narrative purpose.
Core Loop
How Each Level Reads Moment To Moment
On paper the loop is simple, but the state-switching and escort rules make each step more demanding than it first appears.
Observe
Read the room and decide whether the current state is showing you the path clearly enough to act.
Explore
Use the dual-state system to reveal routes, navigate hazards, and test how the space behaves.
Escort
Recover Mothletts and manage their relationship to the player, poles, and other valid light targets.
Extract
Reach the exit once enough followers are safely back in tow and push deeper into the facility.
Project Paths
Go Deeper By Focus
I kept this front page concise on purpose. The deeper pages now split the project by focus: one page for the current five-level slice, one page for art direction, one slideshow page for the full art bible, and one page for the team roster.
Systems & Gameplay
Open the detailed breakdown for dual-state management, Mothlett following, player experience goals, and the current playable structure.
Art Direction
Open the art page for the visual style goals, art bible spreads, concept art, and presentation boards from the capstone docs.
Team Roster
Open the team page for the full Spring 2026 roster and the way responsibilities were divided across design, code, art, UI, and animation.
Art Bible Slideshow
Open the full art bible page to browse the presentation spreads as a slide deck, with each image linked to its original file size.
