Aluna

Aluna helps doctors monitor asthmatic patients’ lung health by blowing into an at-home device called a spirometer. For kids, this is pretty boring stuff.

I worked with Aluna to help design a game for the children’s version of their app. My responsibilities included writing and storyboarding a narrative, designing game mechanics, and creating every piece of in-game artwork.

I continue to hear countless stories of how Aluna is helping their users—especially the children who now have fun tracking their lung health. I’m honoured to have been a part of this special project.

Creating the world

We knew that we wanted a bright and friendly world for our players to explore and so building the map was a crucial first step in tackling the game’s artwork. To make the planets feel special and memorable, each was given a unique theme and colour combination. There was a lot of experimentation at this stage as it set the tone and style for all the artwork that was to come.

Level design

After arriving on each planet, players launch themselves from the surface with their own breath! This is how we track their lung health. By collecting gems and special items, players are able to make slow, meaningful progress through the story each day.

Boss fights

Later in the story a band of space-faring pirates known as the Vapowraiths enter the fray. Armed only with their breath, players must strike their weak points and bring them down.

Customizable ships

One of the largest (and most fun) tasks was designing a system of interchangeable ship parts. Players are motivated to keep playing the game by trading in collected gems at the Intergalactic Outpost. As soon as we implemented even a few of these ships we became overwhelmed with requests from our test groups for more! To us, that meant that the ships were a success.

The Cast

Aluna isn’t just about flying around aimlessly through space. There is some serious trouble brewing! The following are the different characters players encounter as they progress through the story.