In this turn-based strategy game, help the citizens of Athens, Greece withstand rising temperatures by experimenting with different heat mitigation solutions.

• Release ........ April 2024

• Studio .......... Bully Entertainment

• My role ........ Game Designer

• Platform ....... iPad

• Engine .......... Unity

• Team size ..... 30

• Owned feature specs / design documentation

• Designed and prototyped turn-based gameplay systems

• Designed and balanced game economies

• Led playtest sessions

My primary goal with Heat Mitigation was to create an experience that was both educational and engaging, encouraging players to think critically about the challenges of adapting cities to rising temperatures.

The biggest design challenge was translating the science, costs, and tradeoffs of heat mitigation into gameplay systems that were intuitive and enjoyable to interact with. After consulting with heat resilience experts at Arsht-Rock, I chose to frame the experience as a strategy game, allowing players to make meaningful decisions while learning about real-world mitigation tactics.

Over multiple rounds of increasing heat, players allocate a limited budget to implement heat mitigation solutions across four unique districts in the city of Athens. To support these decisions, I designed a heat resiliency formula that evaluates each district based on factors such as population, temperature, and implemented mitigation measures. Each district's population and microclimate influence the effectiveness of available solutions, encouraging players to engage with the educational content and consider the strengths and weaknesses of different approaches.

A significant portion of development was dedicated to balancing the game's economy and difficulty curve. Through extensive playtesting, I iterated on player budgets, solution costs, mitigation effectiveness, and escalating temperatures to create meaningful strategic tradeoffs. The result was a balanced strategy experience that challenged players to think critically while teaching key concepts related to climate adaptation and global warming.