Break Orbit
![a cartoonish 3D render featuring the Break Orbit logo floating in space above a large star. a three-ringed planet is in the background, beside another planet with continent-like features. to the bottom left, a rocket orbits a planet.](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fimages.ctfassets.net%2Fn3e6g0fyj2te%2F2zJVBEGxRmO753CpB0kfMv%2Fbe5b03ec36abeb98679bcd972c3c2aab%2F3d.webp&w=3840&q=75)
UI / UX and illustration for Break Orbit, a mobile game developed by the indie game studio Drowsy Fox.
With the goal of creating an approachable, vibrant interface, I leaned toward bright hues and softened geometry to create a cute aesthetic for the interface and game art. The game offers a great amount of customization options, allowing players to mix-and-match characters, ships, and cosmetic effects.
I developed a set of ship designs, palettes, world themes, and a system for procedurally generating planets, using layered textures as building blocks. I also created a 3d illustration to serve as a promotional graphic during the development of the game.
In addition to providing the interface design and illustrations, I worked with Baruch Adi to evolve and improve the gameplay and user experience.
The game begins with the player orbiting around a planet in a ship. By tapping the screen, the player can attach or detach from a planet's orbit, if it's within range. A large star creeps in at the bottom, swallowing planets as it approaches — the player must move upwards by orbiting planets to evade the sun, collecting coins and power-ups along the way.
![eight planets created from the procedural algorithm. two have wispy, cloud-like features. another has continent-like features, and another has craters. two planets feature coin-shaped indentations -- these are the coin planets from which the player can collect lots of coins if they orbit around it!](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fimages.ctfassets.net%2Fn3e6g0fyj2te%2F4wulQVeB87CPaLcYDgOO9X%2Fccf9d30dfc28df75ed624750c2aa4e4c%2Fplanets.webp&w=3840&q=75)
Between all of the color schemes and designs for ships, characters, exhaust trails, and particles, there are 103,680 unique ways to customize the player.
![six capsules, each containing an item from the game shop: a bag of coins, a rocket ship, a gem, an exhaust trail option, a cat character, and a boost power-up](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fimages.ctfassets.net%2Fn3e6g0fyj2te%2F7wrqaGoo7pdYwpQzNXlfHr%2Fab7ca280f724a8882dea4053ec86ffc6%2Fcapsules.webp&w=3840&q=75)
![the break orbit ships, including two types of rocket, a fighter, a round capsule, and a star-shaped capsule.](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fimages.ctfassets.net%2Fn3e6g0fyj2te%2F1qvh9Y16Js6xEBlppPCEFT%2Ffc3764c4e1cb574d6cb70f2bc0488c32%2Fall_ships.webp&w=3840&q=75)
![early explorations for break orbit ship and power-up designs.](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fimages.ctfassets.net%2Fn3e6g0fyj2te%2F2FvMYDzekl2RYxJygs3V0F%2F6e4c2f8fca562551d5c71c1cb643f0f7%2Fstickers.webp&w=3840&q=75)