Breached

Experience the ocean as an orca whale in this physics-based survival adventure. Starting as a young orca, you learn the hunting technique of intentionally beaching. While dangerous, this technique is a vital way of hunting prey that has been passed down through generations. Master the precise timing, wave reading, and body mechanics needed to grab seals from the shore before sliding back into the water to safety. When a catastrophic hurricane tears through your home, everything changes. Separated from your pod and disoriented by the storm, you find yourself stranded alone on an unfamiliar beach. Now the skills that made you a hunter will be your only hope for survival.  

Gameplay designers: Rachel, Zhiyi, Zhitong, Noah

Team: Team Breached or 1-R

Audio: zapsplat

Project Description:

Breached is an educational survival game where you play as an orca, navigate underwater mazes using authentic echolocation mechanics, execute complex hunting sequences that mirror real orca behavior, and survive after a hurricane that beaches you on shore. 

The game follows your journey through multiple realistic challenges: using sonar to find prey in dark waters, breaching onto ice to hunt seals, and ultimately facing the devastating impact of extreme weather. Each mechanic is grounded in scientific research about orca biology and documented survival strategies and is intended to educate players about orca intelligence and behavior while delivering a fun gameplay experience.

Breached addresses how natural disasters and climate change threaten marine wildlife, showing that even apex predators like orcas are vulnerable to hurricanes and environmental changes. By experiencing these challenges firsthand through authentic whale behaviors, players develop genuine concern for marine wildlife and the environmental threats they face.

Created for Climate Jam 2025 https://itch.io/jam/climate-jam-2025