Parallax is a dice-based puzzle game with a unique perspective shifting mechanic. View the board from four different angles to make dice hands. Earn and equip dice with special abilities that open up a world of new possibilities.
Coming soon to the App Store
#puzzlegame #indiedev #iosgame
New year, new look 👀
After the biggest undertaking of Parallax’s development so far, the transitions between views has been upgraded with animation!
This effect looks A LOT cooler, but it also makes it easier to track things from one view to another.
#indiedev #puzzlegame #gamedev
Wishing everyone all the best this holiday season. We’re hard at work on Parallax and we can’t wait to share the game with you in the new year.
#happyholidays #indiedev
Introducing Instant Effects ⚡️
The effects from Parallax’s instant dice are applied when they’re cleared as part of a hand. They’re the simplest to use, but their impact can leave a crater
#indiedev #puzzlegame #gamedev
Introducing Persistent Effects! 🔁
Persistent special dice have ongoing effects that apply in the activated perspective. These effects can stack with other effects to create powerful combinations.
#indiedev #puzzlegame #gamedev
Meet the Diagonals Die ↗️
Normally make matches on the vertical or horizontal axis, but if it involves a Diagonals die, a magical third axis becomes available!
Override Mode is all about discovering synergies between special dice.
More PARALLAX reveals on their way…
#indiedev #roguelike #gamedev
Introducing Special Dice 🎲
Override Mode is where things get wild. Collectible dice with game-breaking abilities. 36 special dice = 7,140 unique combinations. Every run is different.
#indiedev #roguelike #puzzlegame
PARALLAX—a perspective-shifting, dice-based puzzle game, coming to iOS early 2026
Match poker-style hands by shifting perspectives. Your viewing angle changes everything, even how the board refills. Two game modes:
- Infinite (think: Tetris)
- Override (think: Balatro)
#indiedev #puzzlegame
Leveling Up ☝️
Added a points and level system: rarer hands = more points and each level requires ~20% more points to advance. Plus, I also set the dark dice to spawn more frequently as you level up.
So your reward for playing well is… escalating tension!
You’re welcome.
#indiedev #puzzlegame
Dice Throne is probably my favorite dice-based board game, so backing their new set, Vanguard, on @kickstarter was a no-brainer! @dicethrone.bsky.social
LASERS! 🔥
From the beginning I knew I wanted a retro sci-fi / arcade aesthetic. A laser grid is badass and it heightens the effect of the perspective shift. I started with neon green, but after I tried switching to neon blue, there was no going back. 🕶️
#indiedev #puzzlegame #retro #scifi
Oh yeah, there's nothing more satisfying than picking up the first 10-20% of a new skill set
Drop7, the greatest mobile puzzle game of all time
The Beauty of Games by Frank Lantz
One of my biggest influences: Drop7 🎯 by @flantz.bsky.social
This was one of the first games I bought on my first iPhone (a 3GS). I’ve been playing ever since. It brilliant and it’s part of why I’m making an endless puzzler. I hope it can stick with even one person that way.
#puzzlegame #indiedev
Not all dice are friendly 💀
Gray dice can only be cleared with large hands (5-6 dice). And if the gray dice ever show all six values at once in any one perspective? Game over.
Now you're not just making matches, you're managing perspective-specific threats. 👀
#indiedev #puzzlegame #gamedev
Uniracers for Super Nintendo
I doubt anyone even remembers this one but...
Any plans for an iOS release of this? (Huge fan of Puzzlejuice and Threes! btw)
Implementing the perspective-based gravity system 🍎
The direction you're viewing the board determines how dice refill after you clear a hand. Makes every angle matter strategically. First time this worked felt like magic ✨
#indiedev #puzzlegame #gamedev
Parallax—a perspective-shifting, dice-matching puzzle game for iOS—mid-game, with a full house about to be cleared
Turns out, the month I announced my upcoming puzzle game, Parallax, my all-time favourite podcast, 99% Invisible, is releasing a series on video game design!
Elbowface Games is headquarted south of beautiful… downtown… Calgary, Alberta
99percentinvisible.org/hl/
@99pi.org @romanmars.bsky.social
Yeah, current social media is like a detuned radio
Jumping ahead for #screenshotsaturday! Here’s where Parallax is at now, about one month into development. The journey continues—follow along for the full story 🎲✨
#indiedev #iosgaming #puzzlegame
Yeah, that's very tough. A smaller step you can take is buying something familiar or comfortable and trying to add to it or improve on it some way. Or trying to create a side to pair with it. Basically building out from what you already like.
I learned to cook late in life and these 3 things made the biggest difference for me, especially with new recipes:
1) No substitutions the 1st time trying a recipe
2) Carefully reading the recipe top to bottom before starting anything
3) Doing as much prep work as possible before touching the stove
Oh man, I’d love to have my game, Parallax, on here once it launches. I’d probably be aiming for the space where 999 currently is
Parallax game board with hand validation: showing a 5-die straight
Parallax game board with hand validation: showing Three Pair
Parallax game board with hand validation: showing a Double Triple
Parallax game board with hand validation: showing a Fuller House (4-of-a-kind plus a pair)
Step 3: Teaching it to recognize poker hands ♠️♦️♣️♥️
Straights, X-of-a-kind, full house, plus some new ones for 6-die hands!
Easier to implement than selection, but getting it working was SO satisfying. First time it felt like playing a real game 🎲
#indiedev #iosgaming #puzzlegame
Parallax puzzle game dev log: selection logic was difficult to implement
Parallax puzzle game dev log: the hit detection was also an issue
Parallax puzzle game dev log: but once it was working properly upgrading the visuals was easy
Parallax puzzle game dev log: this was the first splash of neon introduced to the game
Step 2: Selection 🎯
Rule: You can only select dice in a straight line & each perspective has 2 valid axes for selection—along dice with adjacent sides. This makes perspective shifting matter because different views = different lines
Adjacency logic and hit detection were TOUGH
#indiedev #iOSgame
Nickel — and as a bonus Ni is its atomic symbol
Puzzle game fan here. Just tried out Nokoma and I like it! Nice simple idea that organically creates emergent challenges—really clever!
Initial board design for the new iOS dice-based puzzle-game, Parallax, in isometric view
Initial board design for the new iOS dice-based puzzle-game, Parallax, in west focus view
Initial board design for the new iOS dice-based puzzle-game, Parallax, in northeast focus view
Initial board design for the new iOS dice-based puzzle-game, Parallax, in southeast focus view
Step 1: Building the board 🎲
Here’s the twist: Parallax doesn’t just have ONE board—it has FOUR perspectives of the same board. Everything else is built on this. Getting all four angles working and switching between them was my Dr. Frankenstein “IT’S ALIVE” moment ⚡
️
#indiedev #iosgame #puzzlegame
Thank you :)
Announcement image for Parallax, a new dice-based iOS game
Concept image for Parallax, a dice-based puzzle game for iOS, showing the dice iso mode
Concept image for Parallax, a dice-based puzzle game for iOS, showing the dice in focus mode
Meet PARALLAX—a sci-fi flavored, dice-matching, perspective shifting puzzle game for iOS.
I’m building this solo and sharing the journey from concept to launch—follow along! These are my original sketches from when the idea first hit me. Excited to share more!
#iosgaming #puzzlegames #indiedev
