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Coral Depths, A Cozy & Adventure Game

Role: Product Manager (UX & Strategy)
Tools: Figma, Google Forms, Excel, Miro
Duration: March–April 2025
Platform: PC (Steam)
Engine: Unity
Skills: User Research, UX & Game Design, Go-to-Market Strategy, Product Roadmap, Competitive & Market Analysis

What is Coral Depths? Coral Depths is a relaxing, underwater adventure game with cozy, chill vibes and a soft conservationist message. Players explore an oceanic world as Mira, a young marine biologist, whose mission is to rescue endangered sea creatures trapped in under ocean debris and restore the coral reefs. The setting is immersive, colorful, and whimsical, inspired by real marine environments and stylized visuals in cozy adventure games. Through exploration and engaging challenges, players work to clean the environment and rehabilitate marine life.

This game fits squarely into the “cozy gaming” niche, attracting fans of games like Puffle Rescue, Aqua Grabber, and Infinity Nikki, people who want light challenges, engaging visuals, and a soothing gameplay loop.

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Problem & Opportunity

Cozy games are booming, but many lack gameplay depth or emotional story arcs. Players seek relaxing, non-violent games with meaningful interaction.

“One of the key benefits of cozy games is that they provide a safe and comfortable space for play without the persistent threat of failure.”
(Games and Culture Journal, 2022)

Our Goal:
Design a cozy game with emotional storytelling, light skill mechanics, and replayable personalization features — all while making conservation and marine rescue feel magical.

Methodology:
UX & GUR Research using Concept art surveys (Google Forms), feedback matrix with sentiment analysis, wireframe testing & mood mapping

UX & GUR Research Highlights:

89% of survey respondents described the art as “cozy” and “cute”
88.9% agreed the tone matched their expectations for a cozy game
100% of testers liked the unlockable pet companions
Tennis-style gameplay was described as “unique” but needed more visual clarity
Inventory received mixed feedback — we’re increasing capacity in future builds

Gameplay Systems

Coral Depths offers:

Exploration & Narrative –Players uncover small environmental stories with bite-sized quests.
Customization –Decorate coral reefs with collected artifacts.
Social Play – Friend reef visits, asynchronous mini-events.
Emotion-Driven Gameplay – Inspired by journaling and mindfulness.

Key Mechanics:

Core Loop: Explore —Explore → Collect → Customize → Unlock narrative.
Tennis-style debris clearing
Oxygen (air bubble) resource strategy
Power-ups (stored in a 3-slot stash)
Biome-based story arcs and bosses (Sea turtle plastic crisis, Jellyfish & coral bleaching, Whale sharks & overfishing)

Monetization & GTM Strategy + What's Next?

Pricing: $15 flat price
Microtransactions: Cosmetic-only (skins, pet accessories, seasonal outfits)
Funding Model:

Kickstarter – early support, creative freedom
Publisher – post-Kickstarter scaling, distribution & marketing infrastructure

Marketing Channels:

Cozy game Discords
TikTok walkthroughs
YouTube trailers
Cozy game subreddit promotions
Email list from demo downloads

What’s Next?

Build demo for itch.io (Dec 2025)
Launch Kickstarter with companion trailer + narrative pitch
Partner with cozy game influencers
Full release via Steam (Oct 2026)
Explore Nintendo Switch port

Next Steps: Add deeper story arcs, partner with an illustrator, explore monetization models like cosmetic expansions.

What I Learned?

I had so much fun making this game, it was such a different industry than I'm used to. Gaming allows you to break rules, have fun, yet still make it appealing enough for your players. Developers and Game designers meticulously make game decisions that can either make or break a game, each decision is thoroughly thought out with research and testing.

Game UX is about emotion and pacing as much as interface. Creating a “cozy” experience requires intentional constraints.

This project taught me how to: