Cynder3lla

Immersive Classic Tales for Young Players
Cynder3lla is a 2.5D interactive fiction side-scroller designed for kids ages 8–10, made in Unity. You play as Cynder3lla’s helpful companion, navigating her alien world to assist with chores through fun minigames, voiced dialogue, and story-driven interactions. Use WASD or arrow keys to explore, interact with characters and objects, and experience two fully hand-drawn cutscenes that bring this reimagined fairytale to life.
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01 USER PERSONA

Mia Brown is a curious 12-year-old from Portland who balances school, outdoor adventures, and gaming on her laptop. She loves discovering creative stories and enjoys games that challenge her problem-solving skills.
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‍Goals: Seeks an immersive adventure with fun characters, balancing engaging storytelling and gameplay challenges.
‍Challenges: Prefers intuitive controls that don’t feel overwhelming. Needs a clear sense of progression to stay engaged.

02 IDENTITY

I started by deciding I wanted to make a game for my capstone, building on the skills I had developed in past projects using Unity. During my research, I was drawn to the Brothers Grimm version of Cinderella. Instead of focusing on the ball or the darker parts of the story, I chose to highlight the section before the ball—specifically, the chores Cinderella had to complete.

03 Design Process & Final Outcomes

I worked across several areas including 2D art (characters, UI, cutscenes, and background props), 3D art (props and environments), game development using Unity and C# (mechanics, controls, and dialogue), and audio (voice edits, music production, and sound effects).

I was inspired by the character designs from Monsters University, aiming to create strong, distinct personalities through unique shapes and features.

Inspired by Victorian architecture and dollhouse aesthetics, I designed the backgrounds, planned decoration, and camera angles. Using Blender for modeling, Substance Painter for texturing, and Figma for 2D props, I integrated everything in Unity.

I analyzed enjoyable game mechanics, adapted them for chore-based gameplay, and refined concepts through sketches and playtesting.

TAKEAWAYS

The minigames and character designs were successful, with each character's personality shining through and cohesive visuals. A major challenge was managing color contrast; feedback led to using muted backgrounds and bright pastels for characters. Testing mechanics with users of varying experience required extensive playtesting. Seeing the project come together was rewarding, deepening my passion for interactive media and design.

Play the game on Itch.io!