Meta — Hypernova · 2025
The first game for Hypernova — a gateway experience that teaches neural-band gestures under extreme hardware constraints.
- Role
- Visual Designer / Game Design System
- Client
- Meta — Hypernova
- Discipline
- Game, Design System, Neural Band, NUX
Hypertrail is the first game for Hypernova, designed to demonstrate the device's capabilities and highlight the magic of Neural band technology. By reinforcing Neural band gestures for new users, Hypertrail provides an intuitive experience that showcases this innovative technology.
Hypernova's unique hardware features present a distinct set of challenges for game development. With limitations on display, motion, and color rendering, developers must balance visual appeal with technical feasibility to create an optimal gaming experience.
- 01The device generates color banding and aberrations.
- 02Sprite sheets: 64 or 128 frames, with a 1k texture.
- 03Animations brief and small, mainly programmatic (coded).
- 04No native glow, blur, lighting, or bloom effects.
- 05Color constraints — reds are costly with Delphi/Artemis.
- 06Audio limitations: a basic audio stack permits limited playback functionality.
- 01On-the-go gameplay — players may be playing in short intervals while commuting, waiting in line, or during breaks, so level design is deliberately short.
- 02Visual clarity — high contrast colors, bold graphics, and minimal clutter and animation to ensure clarity in varying lighting conditions.
- 03Immersive feedback — leverage audio SFX and haptic feedback to enhance gameplay, while avoiding distracting music to maintain awareness of real-world surroundings.
- 04Inclusive design — a gateway game that welcomes players of all skill levels, especially those new to EMG: intuitive mechanics, a forgiving progression curve, quick respawn times.
Game mechanic exploration · early prototype
Followed the design system rules to create the logo for Hypertrail, then defined the main user flow with team leaders.
We tried so many element designs to make it cohesive — the hard task here was to make the whole game design look balanced and easy to read.
All this journey finally came together well — we have a system that lets everyone in the company help design the puzzle game. It's similar to the Super Mario player-build system: you can use the design system I set up and build your own level.
