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Portrait of Christian HollatzChristian Hollatz

Cherry Picking

First place overall at IIsterJam 2020

A 2D platformer in which you collect cherries and turn the entire level upside down. Built in 48 hours for IIsterJam 2020, where it took first place in the Overall, Gameplay and Use of Themes categories.

Technologies

  • Unity
  • C#
  • 2D game development
  • Gravity mechanics
  • Level design
  • Game jam (48 h)
  • Team project
  • Windows

Links

Gameplay scene from Cherry Picking

IIsterJam 2020 results

Cherry Picking was created in 48 hours for IIsterJam 2020 by a team of five (SWT-P 3). It combines the jam's three themes: Two Sides, Eat It and Glitch.

Rankings:

  • Overall: 1st place (3.772/5)
  • Gameplay: 1st place (4.105/5)
  • Use of Themes: 1st place (4.053/5)
  • Creativity: 6th place (3.158/5)

Gameplay

Cherry Picking is a 2D platformer built around a gravity mechanic: besides collecting cherries, you can flip the entire level and play it from the other side.

  • Collecting cherries is the goal of every level
  • Gravity flip: the level turns upside down and is playable either way up
  • Precise platforming thanks to a solid player controller
  • Screen shake for punchy, responsive game feel

Controls:
A/D or left stick – move
Space or A button – jump
Esc or Pause button – pause

Interpreting the jam themes

  • Two Sides: thanks to the gravity flip, every level can be played both normally and upside down.
  • Eat It: collecting cherries is the core gameplay element.
  • Glitch: the sudden flip of the game world interprets the theme in its own way.

The game also took first place in the Use of Themes category.

Design and development

  • Pixel art graphics and linear levels with clear goals
  • A polished game feel despite the 48-hour time limit
  • A working menu system
  • Windows build (.exe) that runs without additional libraries

From the jury's feedback (translated from German): “Good gameplay, an interesting switch within the levels. Good flow. Already quite polished given the short time.”

Feedback and lessons learned

What reviewers liked:

  • “Very cute graphic, good controls!”
  • “Nice interpretation of the two sides”
  • “I love classic arcade games! Nice choice of style & implementation”
  • Short-term goals are immediately clear
  • The level design is built around the gravity flip
  • Well-tuned parameters and screen shake give the game a punchy feel

Room for improvement:

  • Clearer guidance on long-term goals
  • Character animation when changing direction
  • Fine-tuning the controls
  • Sound and music, which were missing due to time constraints

This feedback proved very useful for later projects and game jams.

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