A debt to Captain Goose
Dive, collect, return
We started with the hook-and-retrieve play of Gold Miner and built a diving loop around it. The player owes Captain Goose 1,000 goose coins and has until the deadline to repay him. At the captain’s urging, they head into the Sea of Shells, use a grab gun to collect shells while avoiding fish, and bring the haul back to the ship.
At first the diver has battered gear and can only pick up scraps in the shallows. Returning with resources opens up better equipment, and with it the chance to go deeper. Down there the player can dodge sharks, collect more valuable shells, investigate ancient bodies on the seabed and leave via the underwater anchor points.
Hand-drawn creatures
Silhouettes in the water
I drew the original creature concepts by hand. In the early sailfish study, the long bill and swept body establish its profile. I then tried a softer painted treatment and one with a firmer outline. Placing both against the underwater background let me compare how easily the dorsal fin and side markings could be read. The latter version uses brighter cyan on those features.
The shark has a longer, heavier profile and a bright edge tracing the back. I gave the jellyfish a soft bell and tentacles that curl into the space beneath it. The sea urchin is compact and dark, so its spikes do most of the work in defining the outline. Those differences give the creatures distinct shapes before any of them moves.
Creature motion
From still drawings to motion samples
The team used AI assistance extensively across the project. In my own work, I drew the original creature and weapon concepts by hand and used AI only for in-betweening the creature motion samples. The clips below show what that stage produced, from the tail and fin movement of the fish to the changing curves of the jellyfish’s tentacles.
Silent motion reel. 0:00 Sailfish · 0:05 Shark · 0:10 Brown fish · 0:15 Jellyfish · 0:20 Sea urchin.
The grab gun
Three heads on one body
I designed the grab gun around a shared red-and-teal body. I kept the grip and body consistent and changed the front silhouette across three versions: a narrow point, an anchor shape and a pair of curved prongs. That let the guns read as a family while giving each version a shape of its own.
I drew the body and the three heads as separate pieces so they could be compared on their own and shown in different combinations. I also placed the assembled gun next to the team’s diver sprite to judge its proportions at the character’s scale.
The title screen
Setting the title into the menu
I also worked on the title design and adjusted its placement in the main menu. I checked how the warm orange-red lettering sat against the team’s blue background, then used guides to compare the title’s size and position with the start button. This kept the title readable over the illustration and left room for the button below it.