Moth Mania
Moth Mania is a systems driven exploration experience about guidance.
Players navigate a dark environment alongside a flock of mothletts, using advanced M.O.T.H.A.M. gears.
Core System
A simple but expressive interaction:
Light OFF → mothletts follow the player
Light ON → mothletts lose the player and seek nearby light sources
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Curiosity → Observation → Experimentation → Emotional attachment → Strategic release
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Target Outcome:
Players learn that indirect control (environmental influences) can be more powerful than direct control.
Dual-State System
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Follow Player
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Activated when player light is OFF
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Mothletts are attracted to the player within a radius
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Seek Light Source
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Activated when player light is ON
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Mothletts prioritize nearest light
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Orbit Light Source
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Once reaching a light source, mothletts enter a stable orbit behavior
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Return to Player
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If player turns goggle OFF within range, mothletts detach and rejoin
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Interaction to Gameplay Loop
Micro Level
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Toggle light
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Observe behavior shift
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Adjust positioning
Macro Level
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Observe
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Explore
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Escort
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Reward
Iterations
Early versions of Moth Mania was well received but still large room for improvements.
The core challenge being:
How can we make a simple mechanic feel predictable, readable and intentional.
Iteration 1: Unclear Cause & Effect
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Problem: Players couldn’t clearly tell why mothletts were leaving them. Sometimes they would drift toward nearby lights unexpectedly, even when the player thought they were “in control.”
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Player Experience: Confusion (“Did I do something wrong?”) & Loss of agency
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Design Adjustment: Strengthened the rule: light state fully determines behavior and removed ambiguous edge cases
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Result:
Players began to understand:
“If I turn the light on, I am choosing to lose them.”