Spinphony

Overview

Spinphony is an experimental 2D musical puzzle platformer that integrates a custom-built physical controller with gameplay and narrative.

Players control Do, a lost musical note navigating a broken musical world. Across the journey, they solve melody-based puzzles by reproducing musical phrases with a custom record-player controller.

The goal is to reunite Do with Re, Mi, Fa, So, La, and Si, restoring harmony to a fragmented musical score through tactile play.

Gameplay Walkthrough

This video shows how the record-player controller maps into navigation, note selection, and melody-solving inside the platforming spaces.

Custom Record Controller

Instead of relying on a standard gamepad, Spinphony transforms a record player into a tactile gameplay device built with Arduino.

Players rotate the vinyl disc and press physical buttons, turning embodied gestures into musical input and movement control.

• Rotary encoder for record rotation
• Push buttons for note input and movement
• Arduino microcontroller
• Laser-cut acrylic enclosure

Gameplay Mechanics

The controller actions map directly onto musical gameplay interactions, linking physical gestures to both platforming and puzzle-solving.

• Rotate the Record (Rotary Encoder) — Scroll through seven musical notes.
• Press the Record (Button Press) — Play the currently selected note.
• Arrow Buttons — Move Do through platforming environments.
• Music elves introduce melodic hints that players must memorize and reproduce to unlock new spaces.

Puzzle & Level Design

Each level introduces puzzles centered on melody reconstruction. Music elves appear throughout the environment, performing short melodic clues that players must replay with the record controller to continue.

The level design combines auditory memory, rhythm recognition, and spatial exploration so the controller functions as both instrument and interface.

Technology Stack

Controller input is transmitted from Arduino to Unity through serial communication, allowing physical interaction to drive in-game musical mechanics.

The project used Ardity to bridge hardware signals into Unity and support responsive puzzle, movement, and feedback systems.

• Hardware — Arduino-based controller, rotary encoder, push buttons, and a custom enclosure.
• Software — Unity 2D for gameplay logic, platforming, puzzle systems, sound feedback, and level interactions.
• Integration — Serial data pipeline between Arduino and Unity using the Ardity plugin.

My Role

This was a team project, and my main contributions focused on Unity development, game design, level implementation, and part of the visual/UI production.

• Implemented core gameplay systems in Unity (C#)
• Integrated Arduino hardware input with Unity interaction logic
• Built melody-recognition puzzle interactions
• Implemented player movement and game feedback systems
• Co-designed the overall gameplay concept and puzzle structure
• Designed level layouts, progression flow, and navigation
• Created part of the 2D visual assets and UI elements