Croquette League

Project Overview

Croquette League is a local co-op sports game built in Unity, where adorable cats compete in fast-paced, physics-driven matches inspired by the spirit of Rocket League. Players battle their feline friends in frantic local multiplayer sessions, trying to keep the ball painted in their team's colors for the longest period of time. The game features a colorful, hand-crafted art style that brings the cat characters and their playful world to life, making it instantly appealing to players of all ages. Built for PC and designed as a couch multiplayer experience, Croquette League captures the fun of gathering friends around a single screen for competitive and lighthearted gaming sessions.

My Role & Contributions

As the sole developer on Croquette League, I designed and implemented every system in the game from scratch. I built the core gameplay loop including the physics-based ball mechanics, character controllers with responsive dash and jump abilities, and the unique paint mechanic where the ball changes color based on the last team to touch it. I designed and modeled the arena environments, created the cat character animations and integrated them with the physics system, and implemented the local multiplayer input management supporting up to four gamepads simultaneously. I also developed the match flow system including countdowns, score tracking, round transitions, and victory celebrations. The UI system was designed to be readable at couch-gaming distances, with large, colorful team indicators and score displays. I handled the complete audio design, layering crowd cheers, impact sounds, and an upbeat soundtrack that intensifies as matches get closer to ending.

Technical Challenges

The biggest technical challenge was creating a physics system that felt both physically plausible and endlessly entertaining. Pure realistic physics would make the game frustrating — cats would slide too far, the ball would behave too predictably, and collisions would lack the exaggerated punch that makes party games fun. I spent significant time tuning the physics parameters to hit a sweet spot where the ball bounces feel satisfying, cat-to-cat collisions create hilarious ragdoll moments, and the overall pace keeps every player engaged. The paint mechanic required a custom shader system that dynamically colors the ball surface based on team contact, with smooth color transitions and particle effects that make each paint change visually satisfying. Managing four simultaneous local players also required careful optimization of the physics simulation and rendering pipeline to maintain a locked 60 FPS, as any frame drops in a fast-paced competitive game are immediately noticeable and frustrating. Input management across multiple gamepad types and configurations required extensive testing and a flexible input mapping system.

Results & Impact

Croquette League was released on itch.io and became a favorite at local game meetups and indie showcases, where the pick-up-and-play simplicity combined with the chaotic physics created immediate engagement from spectators and players alike. The game demonstrated that a solo developer could create a polished, fun local multiplayer experience that stands alongside more established party games. Players consistently praised the charming cat characters, the satisfying physics interactions, and the way each match produced unique, memorable moments worth sharing. The project reinforced my expertise in Unity physics programming, local multiplayer architecture, and the delicate art of game feel tuning — ensuring that every interaction, from the smallest ball tap to the most dramatic cat collision, feels rewarding and entertaining.