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SpongeBob SquarePants: Titans of the Tide

Details

Duration April 2023 - Now
My Role(s) Gameplay Designer
Platform PlayStation 5, Xbox Series, Switch 2, PC
Engine Unreal Engine 5
Status In Development

Project Description

SpongeBob SquarePants: Titans of the Tide is a character-switching 3D action-adventure where players seamlessly swap between SpongeBob and Patrick to overcome platforming challenges and puzzles. Building on The Cosmic Shake, the game features tighter 3C design, more layered ability mechanics, and improved responsiveness. The result is a more fluid and dynamic experience that deepens both gameplay and character expression.

My Contribution

At Purple Lamp, I worked as a Gameplay Designer on SpongeBob SquarePants: Titans of the Tide, published by THQ Nordic. From early prototyping to final production, I helped shape the game’s core systems, abilities, 3Cs, and boss encounters.

My main contributions included:
  • Abilities: designed and prototyped SpongeBob & Patrick’s moves, creating distinct feel and seamless character swapping.
  • 3C Design: iterated on character, camera, and controls, improving flow and readability based on Cosmic Shake feedback.
  • Bosses: owned The Dutchman’s Chest fight, from concept to implementation, balancing pacing and player skill.
  • Implementation: built and tuned gameplay directly in Unreal using Blueprints and the Gameplay Ability System (GAS).
  • Collaboration: partnered with programmers to expand tools and with artists to align gameplay readability with visuals.
  • Workshops: contributed to team-wide sessions (e.g., boss design) and documented workflows for cross-discipline alignment.
  • UI Implementation: implemented and polished UI features during late production to ensure consistency and clarity.

3C Design

Gif showing abilities and character swapping

I worked on improving SpongeBob and Patrick’s controls, camera, and combat systems, building on feedback from The Cosmic Shake and researching best practices from other games. Together with our principal programmer, I refined tools for level designers to guide the player’s view and made heavy use of the Gameplay Ability System for more flexible development.

  • Designing & prototyping core abilities for SpongeBob and Patrick, ensuring distinct game feel while keeping character swapping seamless and intuitive.
  • Layered ability design with combos and interdependent mechanics to reward skill and player creativity.
  • Iterating on the camera system to improve readability, pacing, and player flow.

Boss Design

I designed The Dutchman’s Chest, a boss encounter blending multiple archetypes. The fight challenged players to adapt through character swapping, positioning, and creative use of abilities while providing multiple windows to learn and respond to attacks.

  • Collaborated closely with programmers to prototype and implement boss abilities using Unreal Engine Blueprints and the Gameplay Ability System (GAS)
  • Defined and iterated encounter phases, attacks, and player interaction loops to balance challenge and accessibility
  • Worked with cross-discipline teams (animation, VFX, audio) to align gameplay mechanics with visual and narrative feedback
  • Participated in Marie Mejerwall’s Boss Fight Design Masterclass, applying its frameworks to improve shared design definitions across the team
Boss Screenshot

Collaboration & Workflow

My work relied on close collaboration across disciplines:

  • Partnered with programmers to expand gameplay tools and define workflows for boss battles.
  • Coordinated with artists to align ability visuals and arena readability with design intent.
  • Worked with designers and QA to document, playtest, and iterate systematically, ensuring clarity and consistency across the team.