"Coolmath Games: The Game" was developed by Martin Hanses- an independent developer known for narrative games like "Clam Man."
The player acts as the intern starting their first day at Coolmath Games. They'll meet the wacky, fun cast of employees and even help launch a game! But this game launch won't be so simple...
The Beginning
When I started at Coolmath Games, I enjoyed the humor of the company and the presence we had on social media. I met with our product and social team to discuss making a game about Coolmath Games! I was also a big fan of narrative games and wanted to get more for the site. I found Martin after playing a demo of "Clam Man" and his other narrative games.
When I first met with Martin, we discussed the idea and he prepared a pitch for us and a beta of how the game would work. It was a point-and-click game where players took the role of the intern at Coolmath Games. It's their first day and they have to help the team launch a game by the end of the day. However, the game broke! It's up to the player to try and find their three favorite parts of a game to build it back together to launch before the day is over.
We established a budget and four milestones:
Prototype: This was a build to show the functionality of the game and include the core mechanics of item collection and dialogue interactions
Alpha: An alpha build will be created with placeholder art and the core game mechanics will be finalized
Polished Build: This build contains the final art, puzzles, and mechanics of the game.
Final build: The final build with all assets are final and playable, prepared for Coolmath Games
Development
I met with Martin every two weeks to discuss the project and receive updates. In the meantime, I would help create a list of easter eggs to be included within the game and offer the art assets from the games to be included.
I worked with Martin to adjust the puzzle difficulty and have each puzzle be themed around a game by Coolmath Games. I also helped with reviewing the dialogue and editing the personalities of each character. We wanted to capture the humor and lightheartedness of the real Coolmath Games employees, which can be seen in the whole cast!
Reception
"Coolmath Games: The Game" was released in February 2023 and currently sits on the site with a 4.5-star rating and was nominated for Best Coolmath Original in the Coolmath Games' Awards 2023.
