Teemu Pulkkinen

Design

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My key competences

• Game Design
• Level Design
• Unity
• C#
• Match 3
• Unreal Engine 5
• Unreal Engine Blueprints

I also know the basics of Godot 4 and GDScript.

Game Oasis

I am the founder of my own solo entrepreneurship, Game Oasis. I offer game design and game programming services to my clients. The company got started at Espoo Game LAB, where while I was working on Twilight Ferry I received an offer for my first client workorder. I am currently looking for more clients so I could expand my business, so please don't hesitate to contact me on LinkedIn if you think I could help your team! The rest of this portfolio lists my past work so you can see samples from projects I have worked with.

Espoo Game LAB

I took part in the first pilot programme of Espoo Game LAB from March 2024 to end of September 2024. In the programme we were divided to small teams where the end goal was to create several game prototypes and then a jury would rate the best concepts which would advance to the next phase of the programme. During the programme we learned a lot about game business and how to evaluate the viability of a game concept from business perspective. The LAB programme is funded by City of Espoo and the European Union.

In Espoo Game LAB I worked on two games in total. The first game is only known by its working title Build Your Own Gun Game, but the second game Twilight Ferry survived all the way to the end of the programme.

Twilight Ferry

At the end of Espoo Game LAB I worked on a narrative adventure game called Twilight Ferry. In Twilight Ferry, the player explores a mysterious world of Tuonela inspired by the Finnish mythology by guiding the protagonist of the game through the world. We had a team of 8 people where I started in a Lead Designer role, but during the LAB I found my next job. So I had to instead focus on this other job and did not have time for the Lead responsibilities anymore.

My responsibilities were:

• Designing the core loop of the game's demo
• Writing dialogue for the characters in the demo.
• Maintaining design documentation

You can play the demo of Twilight Ferry at Itch.io and wishlist it on Steam

Itch.io Steam

Build Your Own Gun Game

In top-down shooter Build Your Own Gun Game I was the main programmer for the demo and also had responsibility for the game mechanic design. The game didn't reach the end of the programme, but the idea was that the player would guide a robot through various levels. In the levels, there were enemies which would drop weapons and parts for the player to customize their own robot. The game was intended to be released on PC.

My responsibilities were:

• Programming the game logic
• Level design using art asset pieces made by the artist to plan layouts
• Writing design documentation

I worked at Futureplay Games as Level Designer in Merge Gardens team for 1,5 years. Futureplay has been founded in 2015 and their new game combines Merge gameplay with Match 3 puzzles. Other popular games by Futureplay are for example idle game Idle Farming Empire and mobile multiplayer game Battlelands Royale.

Merge Gardens

Merge Gardens tells the story of Daisy, who inherits a mansion with a lush garden area. Unknown to Daisy, the garden has been taken over by the mysterious Evergrowth, which seems to however have a connection to Daisy's mysterious powers. And how are the mysterious topiaries in the garden related to all of it? Merge Gardens is available globally for iOS and Android.

My responsibilities included:

• Level content creation using in-house editor
• Level content balancing in Unity
• Game mechanics prototyping
• Updating documentation in Notion
• Adjustment of levels based on player data
• External partner collaboration for level outsourcing

Download Merge Gardens

Google Play App Store

I worked at KuuHubb as Level Designer on Tiles & Tales, the company's new innovative title combining Match 3 gameplay with interactive stories. KuuHubb makes mobile lifestyle games for women. Other titles published by KuuHubb are for example coloring application Recolor and simulation game MyHospital.

Tiles & Tales

Tiles & Tales is a tile swapping match 3 game where the players complete levels to earn keys so they can read more interactive Tales. I was the primary Level Designer in our team. The position was quite similar to my previous job, where I also was responsible for a large variety of tasks related to making quality game content. The game is available globally for iOS and Android.

My responsibilities included:

• Level content creation using Unity
• Level funnel design
• Keeping Confluence up to date
• Content balancing and polishing
• Analysis of player data
• Game mechanics design
• Events design
• A/B test planning

Download Tiles & Tales

Google Play App Store

I used to work at Heroic Games as Junior Level Designer on Planet Patrol : Trash Blast. Heroic Games is a game company with social impact angle. A portion of their profits is donated to charities and organizations working to make the world a better place.

Planet Patrol : Trash Blast

Planet Patrol : Trash Blast was a physics based match 3 game where the players complete levels while working towards a common goal of making the world a better place. I was the primary Level Designer in the team. During my time in the company, I created hundreads of levels for the game. The game is no longer available on App Store.

My responsibilities included:

• Level content creation using Unity
• Level funnel design
• Analysis of competing games
• Content balancing and polishing
• Analysis of player data
• Quality Assurance

My first job in games industry was a position as Game Designer Trainee in Rovio Entertainment Corporation. Rovio is one of Finland's leading game companies in mobile games, known for Angry Birds brand and other IPs.

Angry Birds Dream Blast

In Rovio, I worked in Angry Birds Dream Blast game team of approximately 30 people, where my main responsibilities were:

• Making level content using Unity
• Prototyping new game mechanics
• Reviewing external levels
• Creating gameplay footage for User Acquisition team
• Optimization of levels through live balancing after they had been released
• Fixing of issues found in levels based on player feedback

I made level content for the game at the speed of 10 levels a week. I had to make sure they were balanced for our audience of 100k+ players. This game ran a lot of AB tests and I saw how effective they were. In total, I made approximately 200 levels for the game. My content was also used in Rovio's new IP: Sugar Blast.

Dream Blast was selected as one of Google Play Store's best games of 2019 and has over 10 million downloads.

Google Play App Store

Treasure in the Depths

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In Alakajam 8 the theme was Depth, so we ended up making a game about getting a treasure from the bottom of the ocean. The player needs to avoid hitting sea mines and mermen while fending them off with harpoons. We had four members in our team and used Unity as our game engine.

My responsibilities were:

• Designing core gameplay mechanics
• UI Design
• UX Design

Play

Blood and Doubt

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In Ludum Dare 44 I and three friends made a 2D topdown-like adventure game where the player must avoid obstacles and reach the goal. The theme of the game jam was "Your Life Is Currency", which we implemented with a system where the player health is depleted as they move. When the player doesn't move, their health regenerates. The game is available on Itch.io.

My responsibilities were:

• Programming game logic
• Level design

Play

Quest for Humanity

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I took part to Finnish Game Jam 2020 which was traditionally part of Global Game Jam 2020. Theme of the jam was "Repair", which we decided to implement by giving the player the task to help two robots to complete minigames. By completing the minigames, the robots find hidden fragments to repair the Soulstone that was shattered, and can eventually reclaim souls of the robot civilization.

My responsibilities were:

• Designing core gameplay mechanics for minigames
• Writing intro narrative
• Texts for the How to play-instruction tooltips

Play
Link to Game Design Document