Shape-Shifter is a mobile-first neon arcade spatial deduction and polyomino puzzle game — blending the logical deduction of Wordle with the spatial reasoning of Tangrams and Pentominoes. Originally designed, tested and balanced in a custom Excel spreadsheet prototype, it was translated into a responsive web and mobile interactive experience built with React and Tailwind CSS.
Core Mechanics & Systems Design
- Deduction Grid & Polyomino Bank: Players are presented with a 5×5 grid featuring pre-placed blocked tiles and a bank of 6 distinct polyomino shapes to fit into their true target positions within 3 attempts.
- Hidden Transformations: Up to 1 shape may require a 90° clockwise rotation and up to 1 shape may require a horizontal flip across the Y-axis — challenging players to deduce both position and orientation.
- Strategic Feedback Loop: Players can submit a full board or strategically submit a partially filled board to receive cell-by-cell Tick (✓) and Cross (✗) clues on two mini 5×5 attempt history grids. Any shape placed 100% accurately locks onto the board for subsequent attempts.
- 23 Handcrafted Levels & Polish: Features 23 progressively challenging puzzles, hybrid drag-and-drop and tap-to-place controls, interchangeable duplicate piece detection, symmetry-aware transform validation and Wordle-style emoji result sharing.