Popcorn Chicken | Mobile Game | Code Architecture | AI Sound Designer

Popcorn Chicken is a short tactical game built around a moral dilemma. The project explores what happens when the most effective action for the player is also the most destructive one.

Game design and core idea

The game translates the trolley problem into real time gameplay. The player’s farm is attacked by rabid demonic foxes. There is no playable character and no avatar. The player is represented only by their finger.

The core mechanic is remote controlled explosions. By blowing up a chicken, the explosion pushes both foxes and other chickens away, buying time. The win condition is simple. If at least one chicken is alive when the timer ends, the player wins. The loss condition is equally clear. If all chickens die, the player loses.

The depth comes from the tension between two opposing systems.
Every explosion brings the player closer to victory.
Every explosion also brings the player closer to defeat.

Sometimes letting a chicken get eaten is the optimal choice. Sometimes sacrificing one chicken is the only way to save the rest. The player must constantly read the space, manage timing, and make decisions under pressure.

What makes the game fun is the combination of physical chaos, immediate feedback, and high cognitive tension. The explosions are mechanically satisfying, but the context forces the player to question their own actions. The result is a game that feels funny and cruel at the same time.

Design process

The design process was highly iterative. Every design decision was tested against a single question. Does this strengthen the dilemma or does it resolve it too easily.

We deliberately removed a player character to avoid heroic power fantasy.
We kept win and loss conditions extremely clear to maintain player responsibility.
We designed short levels to encourage experimentation and fast learning.

The enjoyment does not come from progression systems or upgrades. It comes from mastering the system itself. The player improves through understanding consequences, not through increasing power.

Code architecture

I served as the Code Architect for the project and designed the structure of the core systems.

The codebase was built around a clear separation between gameplay logic, time and win state management, physical interactions, and input handling.

Each entity in the game has a single, well defined responsibility. Chickens, foxes, explosions, and the timer operate as independent systems and communicate through events rather than direct dependencies. This allowed us to tweak rules, speeds, and behaviors without breaking other systems.

The explosion system was designed to be fully generic. The same physical force affects both enemies and allies. This reinforced the design message that no action is neutral and every decision has consequences.

Game flow is managed through explicit states. Start, running, win, and loss. This made it easy to adjust pacing, win conditions, and level structure during iteration.

Collaboration and learning

Although each team member had a defined role, all of us were involved in both programming and game design. The project evolved through constant dialogue between code, art, and design, supported by frequent playtesting.

This was my second project in the Develop{Her} program. In just a few months, the learning curve was intense and transformative. The voluntary mentorship and teaching by Lydia, Aviv, and the rest of the lecturers created a rare environment that encourages risk taking, experimentation, and rapid growth.

Following this project, the team continued working together on our final game project.

Play the game
https://lunis-moonfire.itch.io/popcorn-chicken