Back&Forth v0.1

About the game

Back & Forth is a cooperative puzzle adventure in which two players take control of the mischievous wizards Rob & Heist. Together they use their respective abilities of repelling and attracting objects to solve various physics-based puzzles.

Game Mechanics

The blue wizard can use his magic hat to push objects away from himself, while the red one pulls them towards him. If an object gets too close it cannot be affected by the spell.

In-development gameplay video:

Controls (xbox)

Requirements to play

The game needs to be downloaded and played on a PC with Windows installed, and two controllers.

Current version

The current version is a prototype still in the process of being polished and we showcased it at Tomorrow’s Awesome Games Showcase. There are no plans to add content to it, but rather to improve on the player's experience with the feedback given.

About the Team

Producer: Laura DeCarli (Itch.io, portfolio, GitHub, linkedin)
Tech Lead: Hallur Kristinn Hallsson (portfolio, linkedin)
Art Lead: Hanna Katriina Salomaa (portfolio, linkedin, Itch.io)
Game Designers: Laura DeCarli (Itch.io, portfolio, GitHub, linkedin) and Mikkel Iuel (Itch.io, linkedin)

On August 27th 2025 we had the opportunity to showcase the prototype to ITU's Summer Games Showcase and were voted Audience's Choice.

We also brought the game at Tomorrow’s Awesome Games Showcase in February 2026! 

A Master Thesis Project

We developed the game as part of our thesis on which we worked under the supervision of Mike Graham. Our research has been on game design processes and methods, with a focus on the role of game design principles in the overall process. The thesis provided us with a valuable opportunity to reflect on and be critical about our design process, by learning from other researchers’ and developers’ literature and by reporting back on both our experience as developers and on our players’ experience with our demo. 

Special thanks

A special thanks goes to all our friends and classmates who helped us test the game during development and gave us valuable feedback ^^

Grazie mille to Małgorzata Maria Mikosz for making our game's poster.