Game Design · UI/UX · 2024

Knead for
Speed

A PC stealth-action game where a cookie outwits a kitchen full of hungry rats. Strategy, scent, and survival.

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Role

Design Lead
UI/UX · Concept Art

Team

8 members

Duration

13 weeks

01 · The Game

Stealth, strategy,
survival.

You are a cookie. The kitchen is hostile. Navigate an environment full of hungry rats using nothing but wit, timing, and the scent trail you leave behind.

stealth-action game built for desktop play with keyboard and mouse controls

team members across design, engineering, and art — led by a single product vision

weeks from concept to playable prototype with full visual identity

02 · My Contribution

Leading vision
across every layer.

Product Vision

Defined product vision and development roadmap. Drove cross-functional collaboration across all 8 members.

UI / UX Design

Designed end-to-end UI system from scratch — HUD, menus, and in-game overlays.

Visual Design

Created splash art and key concept illustrations. Established tone, color palette, and character design.

Design Principle

The aesthetic should feel warm and playful — a cookie's world — while the mechanics underneath are tense and strategic.

The game reflects a real-world truth: overcoming obstacles requires quick thinking and the ability to adapt when your plan falls apart.

Stealth Action Scent Mechanics Enemy AI Level Design Splash Art

03 · Core Mechanic

Your trail is
your enemy.

Every move you make leaves a fading scent trail. Rats follow it. As it dissipates, their path shifts — forcing you to think three steps ahead, not just react.

Dynamic AI

Rats recalculate routes in real time as the scent trail changes — no scripted patrol paths.

Player Control

You can exploit the trail — lay decoys, double back, or sprint to force a trail gap.

Tension Loop

The scent system creates emergent tension without scripted setpieces — every run feels different.

Skill Expression

Casual players survive by reacting. Skilled players win by manipulating the trail deliberately.

Precision Play

Requires exact timing and spatial awareness — where you stand matters as much as when you move.

Scent Strategy

Encourages deliberate scent manipulation — players who think like a rat win.

Split-Second Calls

Balances long-term planning with rapid improvisation when a trail goes wrong.

Replayability

Because AI reacts dynamically, no two runs play out the same way — the game rewards mastery without feeling repetitive.

04 · Final Design

The world
of the game.

Illustrations designed to feel handcrafted and warm — a kitchen that's lived-in, not sterile. The character art gives each asset personality and stakes.