OO.STUDIO / INTERNAL PROJECT
Join the dots.
Build a world.
The Missing Piece · A game by oo.studio
A space station with one solar panel missing. A rover waiting for its wheel. The Missing Piece takes the familiar strategy of Dots & Boxes and gives every square a purpose: building the part that makes a model whole.
- Project type
- Internal project
- The product
- The Missing Piece · An original oo.studio game project
- The idea
- Dots & Boxes meets model building
- My role
- Game concept, visual design, interaction and development
- Status
- Playable preview · Try the game in your browser.
01 / THE IDEA
Familiar strategy.
A new reason to play.
In Dots & Boxes, players take turns joining neighbouring dots with a line. Complete the fourth side of a square and you claim it, then take another turn. A simple move can set up a much bigger opportunity for the next player.
I wanted to connect that strategy to something you could see taking shape. In The Missing Piece, the board represents a component of the model, rather than an unrelated grid. The squares you claim help build the part that belongs in the gap.
02 / THE MISSING PART
See what’s missing.
Make it complete.
The model is shown in full colour, with the missing component outlined. You can see what you are working towards before drawing the first line. The board and model are connected: your progress belongs to the object you are building.
The design explores that idea through different settings and components.
A space station’s solar panel.
Build the array that fills the outlined gap in the station.
A rover’s wheel.
Give each claimed section a place in the part the rover is missing.
A submarine’s hatch.
Take the same idea underwater, building the piece that completes the model.
03 / DESIGN & DEVELOPMENT
One idea.
Every detail connected.
- 01
Make the board part of the story.
The shaped board represents the component being built. The aim is to make the strategy and the illustration feel like one experience, not a puzzle with a picture beside it.
- 02
Keep the goal easy to see.
A clear, full-colour model and an outlined missing part give players a visual reference. Progress is something to recognise, not just a number to read.
- 03
Bring the whole experience together.
I’m developing the game rules, component artwork, board interaction and responsive layout as one project. It’s an example of how I bring an idea through design and into a working digital experience.
04 / PLAY THE GAME
Your next move.
Your missing piece.
Play The Missing Piece in your browser. The first eight builds are free to try, and your progress is saved on the device and browser you use. The game is still in development; this is a playable web preview.
Interested in the game, or in creating a playful experience for your own business? Let’s talk about what you have in mind.