PufferPet - A desktop pet for Kiroween

• 

  puffer

• 

  crab

• 

  jellyfish

• 

  starfish

• 

  ray

Inspiration

Productivity tools are often too serious and boring. The original idea was simple: turn the mundane act of checking off to-do lists into a survival game for a digital companion. A pixelated pufferfish that lives at the bottom of the screen seemed like the perfect accountability partner.

What it does

PufferPet is a gamified desktop companion that feeds on productivity. It starts as a dormant, gray shape fixed to the bottom of the screen. Completing real-life tasks (like "Drink Water" or "Focus for 30 mins") wakes the creature up, turning it into a colorful, floating pixel pet. Once fully grown, it unlocks a "Blind Box" system, rewarding users with new friends like jellyfish, crabs, or the rare manta ray. A dedicated "Day/Night" toggle allows the aquarium to shift modes: day mode is bright, while night mode applies a spooky filter, turning pets into glowing, spectral versions of themselves to match the Halloween theme.

How we built it

The entire codebase was generated using Kiro's AI capabilities, specifically utilizing Spec-driven development to manage the logic. Python and PyQt6 serve as the backbone for the desktop windowing system. Instead of creating complex frame-by-frame animations manually, the project utilizes procedural code to create "breathing" and "floating" effects for the static pixel art assets.

Challenges we ran into

Managing art assets proved difficult for a non-artist. Early versions crashed frequently when image files were missing or named incorrectly. Implementing a "transparent window" that sits comfortably above desktop icons but doesn't block work was tricky. Another major hurdle was making the pets look "alive" without drawing dozens of animation frames. This was solved by writing logic that mathematically stretches and moves the static images to simulate breathing and swimming physics, saving hours of design time.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

Getting the "Day/Night" toggle to instantly switch the visual theme without restarting the app feels like a magic trick. The blind box opening animation, simple as it is, adds a satisfying reward loop to the daily grind.

What we learned

Complexity is the enemy of completion. The project taught the value of stripping down features to their core. It showed that "perfect" assets aren't always necessary; sometimes a simple geometric shape or a static image with code-driven movement has its own charm.

What's next for PufferPet

A deep sea ecosystem can grow much larger. Future updates might include sound effects for the blind box and task completion. More varieties of deep-sea giants, like whales or sharks, could be added to the drop pool.

Built With

• kiro
• kiroween
• python