Party Tricks is a four-player minigame rush with strategic elements currently in development using Unity 6.
Just interested in trying it? Jump to How to Play.
Party Tricks is a party game that incorporates strategy so that anyone can win, not just those who have mastered the game's controls! Spend funds on power-ups from the shop for unique advantages in each minigame type; being the best at a particular minigame is good, but overall strategy is equally important to winning in this game.
The game supports both macOS & Windows, and may be played with up to four controllers (though a controller is not required).
- Halle Broadnax (Programmer, QA)
- Jade Harlev (Producer, Programmer)
- Kamron Swingle (Programmer, UX, Level Design)
- Ren Peng (Theme and Narrative, Gamefeel, 3D Artist)
- Ryn Reid (2D Artist)
The game is balanced around three minigame types: Combat, Gambling, and Movement. For this vertical slice, we're solely focusing on Combat and Movement minigames.
In Combat minigames, eliminate the other players by directly fighting them. In Gambling minigames, make strategic wagers and hope to win it big. And, finally, in Movement minigames, show off your skills in tough challenges without directly attacking your opponents.
Minigame Type: Gambling
Bet as much as you'd like and try to win it all!
Minigame Type: Combat
2D battle minigame; shoot your opponents with quick regular attacks or powerful charged attacks and rack up the most eliminations.
Minigame Type: Movement
Traverse a floating platform and collect coins. Be careful, though, because it's easy to fall off!
Minigame Type: Movement
Swing from vine to vine while collecting coins. Make it as far as you can while maximizing coin collection to win!
The shop displays between minigames and includes power-ups for the player to purchase.
Power-ups are generally minigame-type dependent, and last for the duration of an entire game (multiple rounds / until somebody wins).
For example, the Magnet powerup will magnetize coins to you in Movement minigames, allowing you to rack up points more quickly and take fewer risks.
Meanwhile, the Increased HP powerup will make you more resilient in Combat minigames, allowing you to take more hits without dying.
Pictured: Player 1 attacks more effectively using an attack speed and multishot powerup.
(last updated Mar 05, 2026)
Most Recent Footage: Sprint 2 Trailer
Voiced Trailer: Sprint 1 Trailer
Not fully representative of work as of the end of Sprint 3. Will likely be updated around the end of Sprint 4.
Try running our latest build from our GitHub releases!
If there's no recent build, follow the Development Guide to build the project yourself.
| Action | Keyboard/Mouse | Controller |
|---|---|---|
| Move / Navigate Menus | W/A/S/D, arrow keys, or mouse | Left joystick or D-pad |
| Perform Action / Select (hold to charge in Dire Dodging) | Enter or Spacebar | A / Cross |
| Secondary Action / Go Back / Unlock Shop | Esc | B / Circle |
| Pause | P | + / Start |
| Debug Menu (P1 only) | Ctrl + Esc | - / Select |
Last updated Mar 25, 2026
Planned and Complete: Dire Dodging Minigame Rework, Vine Swinging minigame
Deferred: title screen art, 3D character models for Coin Tilt
Also completed: sound effects and music for all minigames, shop tweaks (QOL, audio), manual board configuration (dev tool), simple tutorial system, controller improvements, visual change to Coin Tilt
Planned and complete: Title screen art (not yet integrated), refinement for all minigames (visual overhauls for Dire Dodging and Vine Swinging, gameplay refinement for Vine Swinging)
Deferred: Dire Dodging character art, 3D character models for Coin Tilt (started)
Nixed: air hockey minigame
Completed (but not explicitly planned): miscellaneous menu improvements, bug fixes, shop feedback, debug view options, various sound effects, music in more places, shop rigging in Unity, powerup buffs, options menu
Planned and complete: Minigames further refined, Vine Swinging art (initial), Title Screen integration, visual overhauls for powerups, Shockwave combat powerup, additional visually interesting powerup (multishot)
Deferred: Dire Dodging Character Art integration, Coin Tilt Model completion, integration, and refinement, more sound effects, board display visual overhaul, Vine Swinging character art
Completed (but not originally planned): Coin Tilt visual overhaul (new platforms, backgrounds, new coins), colorblindness fix for shop, discount badge for shop, Dire Dodging gamefeel changes (lots of particles), powerup assignment for debug menu, Dire Dodging stun effect changes
NOTE: Competition deadline announced as earlier than anticipated at the end of Sprint 3.
Sprint 4 (Ends April 2):
Planned: IEEE trailer outline and V1, final art for Dire Dodging, initial music from composer, Coin Tilt Model completion, integration, and refinement, sound effect work, board display visual overhaul, Vine Swinging character art, magnet VFX, character art swap in for results screen
Sprint 5 (Ends April 16): Game (vertical slice) is done! Any other work is polish.
Unity Version: 6000.3.16f1
FMOD Studio (installed separately): Version 2.03
- Clone the project
- Use "Add project from disk" in the Unity Hub
- Run the project!
Builds can be created using the Unity build menu (file -> build profiles -> build).
- This project is currently not open to external contributions, but we're open to feedback!