Doppel Diner

A 2D cooking and management game set in a 1950s atompunk spaceship diner. As the diner orbits a planet, the environment changes between three states inspired by different mood experiences: calm (euthymic), chaotic (manic), and resource-deprived (depressive).

Players take orders, cook food, and upgrade the diner throughout the game. While the main gameplay stays the same, conditions shift every three levels, affecting time, order difficulty, cooking speed, and customer behavior.

Bipolar Awareness Cooking & Management Sim
Role: Solo Game Developer · In Development (delayed)

Doppel Diner is my MFA thesis project, designed, illustrated, and developed in Unity C#. It began with a simple question shared with the community: what does bipolar disorder feel like? The answers were rarely clinical and instead came as metaphors — like a rollercoaster you can’t leave or a wave you can’t outrun. This game is my own interpretation of that idea: running a diner while dealing with forces outside your control. The goal is not to explain the condition, but to create an experience that encourages understanding and conversation.

SYSTEMS:

• Order & cooking loop — players take and complete orders using ingredients across a two-screen layout designed to feel natural and easy to follow.

• Diner states — core gameplay unfolds across three different phases, each changing time pressure, order complexity, cooking speed, and customer behavior. How the player manages and treats their character affects how manageable these states feel.

• Shop & upgrades — completing orders earns resources that can be used to improve the diner and expand options.

• Interactive dialogue — story moments are integrated into gameplay, supporting the overall theme without interrupting the flow.

RECOGNITION:

GGJ x Endless Microgrant · BostonFig 2022 · PAX East 2023 · RPI GameFest 2023 · IGDA Women in Games Showcase GDC 2024 · DIGI-PHERNIA Exhibition at The William Benton Museum of Art 2024 · UConn Gives Showcase in NYC 2025