Queen Bee
Queen Bee is a whimsical 3D platformer where players step into the role of Queen Bee, commanding her swarm of loyal bees to reclaim the scattered remnants of her once-peaceful home. After an attack by a horde of barbearious bears, players must navigate a treacherous ravine, solve puzzles, and overcome challenges to restore her home.
Year
2024
Role
UI/UX Designer & Product Owner
Design Challenges & Solutions
Communicating Dual Control Modes
One of the main challenges was helping players intuitively switch between controlling Queen Bee herself and commanding her swarm of bees. To address this, I implemented:
Swarm Control Meter: A right-to-left cooldown timer, encouraging strategic use of the swarm and preventing overuse during puzzle-solving.
Visual Differentiation: A distinct yellow hexagonal overlay for Swarm Mode was designed to make it clear when players were controlling the bees versus Queen Bee.
Streamlining HUD Clarity
Players found it difficult to distinguish between the health meter and the swarm control meter. To reduce confusion and visual clutter, I redesigned the HUD so the swarm meter only appears when players activate Swarm Mode, ensuring a cleaner and more intuitive interface.
Teaching Controls In-Game
To onboard players effectively, the tutorial area featured in-world text prompts that teach the mechanics of switching between control modes. These unobtrusive cues ensured players learned seamlessly without breaking immersion, as they faded away after interaction.
Customizing Flight Controls
Testing revealed mixed preferences for inverted versus standard flight controls. To accommodate everyone, I added a toggle in the pause menu, allowing players to customize their swarm controls for what works best for them.
Fun Fact: This was my first project voice acting! It was really fun to make Queen Bee come to life by voicing her!
