This was a live brief from Auckland War Memorial Museum to create a digital extension of their Weird & Wonderful section, making it accessible for families who can’t visit in person, as well as serving as a teaser for potential visitors or a way to continue learning after their visit.
My team’s solution is a 2D point-and-click game called Bug Buddies, designed for children aged 3–5. The story follows a girl visiting Auckland Museum who watches a blue moon butterfly larva escape and then goes on an adventure around New Zealand to track it down and return it. The gameplay centres on finding different insects from the Weird & Wonderful exhibit in each location as part of the quest to bring back the escaped insect.
Sprites of the main characters include the three stages of the escaped larva, which appear in the background forming a chrysalis and eventually emerging as a Blue Moon Butterfly over the course of the game; the player character; and Professor Ponga, a kākāpō entomologist who narrates information about each bug after they are found, and guides the player on her journey.
The player's 7 frame walk cycle.
Backdrops of the three levels inncluded in our demo.
The level select screen/map.
