Secrets of the Lost Temple is a mobile-first, cooperative puzzle game for Meta Horizon Worlds, designed as a “snackable” 5–8 minute adventure you can play on your phone, in VR, or on web.
The Challenge
Meta set out to expand Horizon Worlds with mobile-first titles that felt truly native to phones: simple controls, short gameplay loops and clear progression that keeps players coming back, while still extending naturally into VR and web. Within that push, our brief was to create a funded social puzzle game for teens and young adults—something instantly understandable and friendly, with quick, easy-to-read runs that feel genuinely cooperative for one to three players.
The experience needed to deliver on Meta’s “snackable but deep” ambition: fast runs that fit into busy lives, co-op gameplay that feels genuinely shared, and progression systems like creatures, gold and unlocks that add depth and collection over time without ever overcomplicating the experience or breaking its “just one more run” rhythm.
The Idea
We imagined a network of ancient temples watched over by Moma Egg, a mythical guardian of magical creature eggs. A mysterious disruption scatters these enchanted eggs across hidden chambers, each protected by traps and mechanisms.
Players step in as explorers, teaming up in groups of up to three to run the temples: navigating chambers, cracking puzzles, unlocking eggs and returning safely to the lobby with gold and new companions. Each run is intentionally short, but the collection and progression systems give players long-term goals, bragging rights and a reason to keep diving deeper into the temple network.
Game Design
The game design for Secrets of the Lost Temple centres on fast, co-operative temple runs that are easy to grasp on mobile but deep enough to reward repeat play through smart puzzles and a satisfying collection loop.
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Snackable runs: 5–8 minute temple runs with a clear start, payoff and reset, ideal for mobile sessions.
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Co-op at the core: Designed for 1–4 players, with shared rewards and chambers that encourage communication and collaboration.
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Readable puzzle types: Three core puzzle types, Pathway, Offering and Sequence. Each with simple rules, fast feedback and room for experimentation.
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Progression through collection: Gold, creature eggs and rarity tiers work together as a single, easy to understand progression loop that rewards repeat play.
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Built for replayability: Rotating puzzle combinations, levelling companions and collection goals all feed a gentle “just one more run” rhythm.
Concept Development
From the earliest pitch, I helped shape the core idea around Moma Egg, the ancient temple network and the rhythm of short, repeatable runs with meaningful collection at the heart. Working from those foundations, I collaborated closely with concept artists, game designers, UX, 3D and development teams to define how the world should look, feel and play across mobile, VR and web. Together we tuned run length, puzzle difficulty and progression pacing, while making sure every interaction and UI element stayed performant, readable and achievable within Horizon Worlds’ constraints.
Visually, the temples were developed to feel ancient, mysterious and alive: crumbling altars, moss-covered stone, glowing glyphs, drifting energy and subtle motion all hint at a deeper magic beneath the surface. Each chamber was designed as a compact but atmospheric space, with layouts that naturally guide players towards interactive elements and team touchpoints. The egg room became a consistent “reward stage”, where light, animation and creature reveals combine into a quick but memorable payoff at the end of each run. Throughout, concept art played a key role in aligning the team, allowing us to explore different temple moods, creature designs and chamber layouts on paper before locking in the final experience.
UI & UX Design
As Creative Lead with ownership of the UI, I focused on making the experience instantly legible on mobile while still fitting the cinematic world of the temples.
Menus, prompts and collection screens were designed mobile-first for thumb reach, clarity and quick decision making, then adapted to VR and web so the experience feels consistent across devices. Iconography and UI treatments clearly distinguish puzzle types, egg rarities, creature states and currencies, helping players understand systems at a glance without heavy explanation.
Whenever possible, objectives and instructions are delivered through in-world signage temple themed panels, glyphs and subtle markers so players stay immersed in the fiction even as they’re being guided.
The Experience
Players arrive in a central lobby overseen by Moma Egg, where they can browse their growing creature collection, check available runs and spend gold in the shop. The space doubles as a social area, letting players compare companions, inspect each other’s followers and decide which run to tackle next.
Once a run is selected, the team drops into a focused temple chamber built around one core interactive puzzle. The flow is simple, explore the room, identify key elements, trigger levers and mechanisms, and hunt for missing components like keys or offerings while piecing together how it all connects. Solving the puzzle reveals the egg room and the creature they’ve been chasing, delivering a short, punchy payoff before returning everyone to the lobby.
Rewards are shared between all players, with gold earned from puzzles and urns feeding back into the shop and progression loop. Because controls and layouts are tuned for mobile first then extended to VR and web the experience feels approachable whether you’re playing on a phone or in a headset, with co-op at the heart whichever device you choose.
The Result
Secrets of the Lost Temple delivers on Meta’s brief for a mobile-first, social Horizon Worlds title: snackable runs, simple controls and a clear, collection-driven progression loop that rewards repeat play.
Now available on Meta Horizon Worlds across VR, mobile and web, it expands the platform’s puzzle offering with a co-operative adventure that feels approachable for teens and young adults, yet deep enough to keep them exploring the temple network over time.
