Although we faced several challenges during the development of Mental Load, our consistent organization and clear team communication kept us aligned and allowed us to overcome obstacles efficiently.

From the start, we knew we wanted at least four distinct Tower types, each corresponding to a specific Enemy type. We explored various ways to represent them visually and thematically. Ultimately, we decided to focus on four everyday sources of stress: sleep, fear, money, and time. These themes not only shaped the visual identity of the Towers and Enemies but also reinforced the core concept of Mental Load.

The in-game economy was another area we put a lot of thought into. One major issue we faced for a large part of the production was that players often ended up with too much Dopamine to spend during the later waves of regular levels. Once all Tower Spots were occupied, players had no reason to spend more Dopamine, which limited strategic options.

To solve this, we implemented two key solutions. First, players could now swap an existing Tower for a stronger or more efficient one, allowing for deeper mid-game strategy. Second, we introduced Upgrades in the shop which gave players a meaningful way to spend excess resources. This system also made it easier to track how many levels of a specific Upgrade the player had invested in, adding another layer of progression and planning.

In the end, many of our initial ideas evolved or were scrapped, and we even completely reworked our approach to the Level Design after a playtest session revealed that the exploration aspect wasn’t engaging enough. We adapted throughout the entire production, continuously refining the experience to make it as enjoyable as possible, while also aiming to push the boundaries of the Tower Defense genre.