The Big Fish

interactive, simple menu
THE BIG FISH
addictive fun interactions
Large arena!
interactive tutorial!
shop around 80 different fish from 13 different categories!

Inspiration

I've always loved the simple joy of classic 'snake' games, where the core loop of "eat to grow, avoid being eaten" creates addictive gameplay. I wanted to bring that same excitement to Meta Horizon Worlds with a mobile-first approach, creating a social experience where friends can compete to become The Big Fish.

What it does

The Big Fish is a multiplayer underwater arena game where players compete to eat food, grow stronger, and devour other players. Key features include: -Crown System: The leading player becomes "The Big Fish" and wears the crown -Combo Mechanics: Chain food consumption for bonus points (x2, x3, x4...) -Fish Shop: Unlock and customize your fish with around 80 unique designs across 13 categories -Leaderboards: Compete for the top spot with persistent scores -Interactive Tutorial: Guided onboarding for new players

How I built it

Built entirely in Meta Horizon Worlds using TypeScript and the Horizon API. -Real-time multiplayer: When one player eats another or grabs the crown, everyone sees it instantly -Save system: Your points, owned fish, and selected fish are saved between sessions -Mobile-friendly UI: The game can be played using only one hand :) -Interactive tutorial: An easy, simple, and intuitive tutorial for a perfect first-time user experience! -Crown attachment: The crown physically follows the leading player around the arena

Challenges I ran into

I started in landscape mode and switched to portrait after 2 weeks... This meant rethinking the entire game for one-handed play. Creating bot-fish AI for solo players, building an interactive tutorial with its own arena, and synchronizing the crown across all players in real-time were my biggest technical hurdles. Making celebrations appear only on the right player's screen also required careful event handling between server and client.

Accomplishments that I am proud of

The combo system creates satisfying "one more game" moments, and the crown celebration animations bring real joy when you become The Big Fish! Having 80 different animated fish to choose from was a loonnng process that I was SO proud of when finally done!