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Smoke break! is...
Smoke break! is...
Smoke Break! is an award-winning stealth-puzzle game where your health is directly linked to your interactions. Play as APPLEWOOD, a living puff of smoke chasing down a deliciously burnt pie in a pie factory.
An USC Games Advanced Game Project (AGP) released in May 2025 on Steam and Epic Games Store.
Laurel showcase for Smoke Break!'s achievements.
Award-winning
Award-winning
Smoke Break! has received a series of awards since its debut at the annual USC Games Expo in May 2025.
Celebrational art for winning a total of $32.5k prize at the Collegiate Games Challenge and exhibiting at Game Devs of Color Expo.
steam-featured
steam-featured
Screenshots from Smoke Break!.
UI/UX Design
Greyscale draft
Greyscale draft
Smoke Break! is a game that takes place at a baking factory, which inspired me to design the screens to each represents a different part of the factory.
Scroll through the image carousel to view some of the screens.
Level Select screen
Level Select screen
Final product of the level select screen of Smoke Break!, image and video form (animated by Dirk Quizon)
Screen Recording 2025-11-17 141354 (online-video-cutter.com).mp4The design process
The design process
My inspiration for the level select screen is based on ingredient jars commonly seen in domestic and industrial settings as storage containers for food.
Scroll left to view the design process.
3rd picture illustrated by Alex Tang.
Pause screen
Pause screen
Continuing the factory settings, the pause screen design also kept the industrial vibes. The original design for this screen is to have the light lit when a button is hovered, but due to scope issues, this was not realized.
2 early designs of the pause screen.
settings screen
settings screen
To be frank, I like the colorful design in the early stages (on the right). We had little time to adjust the contrast of the screen and went with the safer option of staying closer to the de-saturated design.
loading screen (unused)
loading screen (unused)
The loading screen is an unused concept that was cut later in the game based on design decisions.
The original vision is to show Applewood travelling through pipes (with the pipes being an endless scroller) between each of the levels.
credits screen
credits screen
The final implemented credits screen in Smoke Break!, featuring a dough-rolling-themed design with every department member's named stamped on top as if being cut from a cookie cutter.
credits.mp4
Early concepts of the credits screen.
In-Game designs
In-Game designs
In-Game: health bar
In-Game: health bar
In Smoke Break! I have designed the concept for a decreasing health bar with the idea of Applewood being a living smoke in mind. I was inspired by the real life sighting of smoke rings huffed from a cigarette.
Applewood_hpbar_finalized.mp4The final prototype is animated by Dirk Quizon.
Applewood_hpbar_concept.mp4
The original concept art and concept anination of Applewood's in-game health bar.
shattering_vfx.mp4in-game: vfx
in-game: vfx
Smoke Break! takes place in a bakery factory. Applewood being the mischievous spirit that they are breaks items in their way. An on-screen visual effect is required to represent the degrees of which they're broken.
Left: concept art by me. Right: realized product by Dirk Quizon.
in-game: tutorial dialogue bubble
in-game: tutorial dialogue bubble
The in-game speech bubble, animated by Dirk Quizon.
In-game application below.
Screen Recording 2025-11-17 150339.mp4
UI bible
UI bible
The UI Bible ("UI Kit") is a booklet that defines the direction for the overall UI/UX design, involving guidelines ranging from Shape Languages to Typography. It provides useful references for artists working under the UI discipline.
This is a living document that I periodically revise as the project develops.
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