Circuit Breaker

Circuit Breaker

A fast-paced STEM puzzle adventure in a digital media lab

You’ve just taken on your first day as a lab technician in a college media-production studio that’s gone dark. The equipment is sparking, lights are out, and the content production deadline is looming.
Your mission? Restore power, troubleshoot hazardous circuits, and keep everything safe—one room at a time.

In this 2D side-scroller educational game, you’ll explore three compact levels filled with real-world electrical hazards disguised as fun puzzles. Grab your toolbox, toggle breakers, replace light fixtures, and reroute faulty wiring. Every correct fix earns Safety Points; every misstep triggers a puff of smoke or a flicker of doom.

Designed for high-school and early-college learners (and anyone curious about how labs stay powered), Circuit Breaker blends simple controls with deep problem-solving. Guided by an Observe → Decide → Act → Reward loop and real-time feedback, you’ll build stronger circuit logic and learn safe equipment handling—all while having a blast.

🧭 Game Goal

Restore power safely to the lab by fixing hazards (outlets, lights, and server panels) while managing circuit breakers.

🎯 Learning Objectives

Players learn to identify safe vs. unsafe repair conditions and understand cause-and-effect relationships in electrical safety through interactive problem-solving.

🔍 Hazard State Example (Player Perspective)

To help players recognize safe vs. unsafe repair conditions, each hazard in Circuit Breaker presents clear visual and behavioral cues:

• Unsafe State (Breaker ON):
  Approaching an outlet while the breaker is still powered triggers sparks, a danger icon, and an on-screen warning (“Power is ON! Turn OFF the breaker.”). Attempting the repair in this state results in a Safety Point penalty.

• Safe State (Breaker OFF):
  After toggling the breaker OFF and collecting the toolbox, the same outlet repairs cleanly: the hazard icon disappears, the outlet animates into its “fixed” state, and the player earns points.

This contrast between unsafe and safe states teaches players when a repair is safe and reinforces real-world procedural safety through immediate feedback.

🕹️ How to Play

Controls

• E: Interact / Repair

• Arrow Keys: Move

• Breakers: Toggle OFF before repairing to avoid penalties

• Toolbox: Collect before repairs

Goal

Fix all hazards to complete the level.
Avoid repairing without tools or with an active breaker — those cost you points! On Level 2, there will be more hazards to fix.  On Level 3, in addition to hazards, you have to reactivate the server in the correct sequence.

You will find the following hazards across three levels:

Outlets:  Red means it is not fixed.  It turns green once it is fixed.

Light Fixtures: Same as outlets, will change color once it is fixed.

Server:  The server needs to be reset on Level 3.  The three server nodes must have power and be activated in the correct order.

Safe A.I.:  If you are ever stuck, please consult your friendly A.I. on each floor.

🎨 Attributions

• Art Assets: Modified from Construct 3 tutorials & asset packs

• Sound Effects: Freesound.org (CC0 licensed)

• Fonts/UI: Construct 3 defaults

• AI Assistance: Concept refinement & documentation support from ChatGPT (OpenAI)

🛠️ Design Updates (Version 2)

• Implemented multi-level progression (Beginner → Intermediate → Expert labs)

• Added breaker dependency logic to enforce safe sequencing

• Introduced Safety Point scoring and hazard tracking UI

• Improved feedback (toasts, sparks, animations, sound cues)

• Added Level Complete and Game Over layouts for clarity

• Simplified hazard-state transitions for more intuitive player learning

📝 Reflection

Developing Circuit Breaker in Construct 3 revealed how small logic changes can significantly impact player understanding of procedural safety. Through iteration and testing, the breaker-first mechanic became more intuitive, and clear feedback systems proved essential in guiding players toward safe problem-solving behaviors. This project strengthened my understanding of how game engines shape design decisions, and how educational games benefit from thoughtful moment-to-moment player signaling.