HOLD MY PAW

A storm floods a miniature town built from teacups, biscuit tins, and flowerpots. You’re a little floating star helping stranded animals reach a flying umbrella.

Move your mouse near a kitten. It grabs you. Rescue a frog, and it grabs the kitten. Soon you’re swinging an increasingly ridiculous chain of squeaking animals through the town.

Their personalities change the physics:

| Friend | What happens |

| Mochi, the kitten | Clings tightly and stretches like a tiny accordion. |
| Pippin, the frog | Jumps toward nearby platforms, pulling the chain sideways. |
| Boba, the sleepy capybara | Adds weight so you can resist strong wind. |
| Puff, the duckling | Flaps when falling, slowing everyone’s descent. |

You decide who holds whose paw Put the capybara at the bottom to steady a swinging chain; put the duckling above a gap to glide across it. Reordering your friends becomes the puzzle.

The exciting moment: a gust blows your umbrella away. You have ten seconds to swing everyone onto a moving paper boat. They squeak, stretch, and grab each other. Nobody dies missed friends land in little rescue bubbles so you can try again.

The ending: after saving everyone, your star runs out of light and falls. The animals form a chain and catch *you*.

I worked solo on Hold My Paw, using my experience with web development to explore browser-based game design. The game uses React, TypeScript, HTML Canvas, and the Web Audio API. It uses the open-source DynaPuff and Nunito fonts from Fontsource, with AI assistance for coding and iteration.

The biggest challenge was making four connected characters move naturally while keeping the controls easy to learn. Balancing the timed puzzles and moving-boat rescue took several iterations. I also worked on step-by-step instructions that appear at the right moment, touch controls, and keeping the visuals clear without losing the game’s cozy feel.