This is our team submission (Me, Megg, and Anna) to the Rive x Contra Interactive Character Animation Challenge. Itโs a tamagotchi inspired experience based off of Moomin, Meggโs american bully dog. Moomin isnโt my dog but Iโve played with him, hand fed him, and took turns in potty training him. And boy does potty training a puppy sure does take a lot of patience, and I mean a LOT. Moominโs a good boy, sometimes a naughty boy, and sometimes a bad boy. Iโm not a dog person and the experience has been a little bit frustrating (especially when Moomin refuses to listen ๐), but also rewarding, and overall sparks joy. And thatโs the goal of this Rive app, to share that whole experience with Moomin to anyone who plays around with the app. We tried to capture Moominโs mannerisms when he eats, when you pat him, and he really does flop to the ground when he refuses to listen. We wanted to make the digital Moomin feel as alive as possible. And if weโve done our jobs well, we hope youโll be so engaged that you forget itโs an app, and feel like heโs a real digital pet.
Iโm not sure if we can win the challenge because there are a lot of amazing entries (but hopefully we do, and Moomin gets a share, of course, if we win) but even if we donโt, if weโre able to make people playing with the app feel a spark of joy in a world that feels uncertain as ever, then I feel like weโve already won.
Test it here:
https://rive.app/s/CvJQJr-eGk6PN7W46_8-KA/embed?runtime=rive-renderer