Company: Merge Games (Publisher) / Maple Powered Games (Developer)
Project Overview
Monster Harvest is a charming pixel-art indie game that blends the genres of farming simulation and monster collecting. As part of the publisher QA team at Merge Games, I was responsible for ensuring the game was polished, balanced, and ready for release across a wide variety of platforms.
My Role & Responsibilities
My duties included the full testing of the title, from functional and usability checks to rigorous multi-platform compliance passes. I was also responsible for creating test documentation and guiding other team members on platform-specific requirements.
The Challenge
The biggest challenge was testing the long-term progression systems inherent to the farming sim genre. This required methodical, long-term save files to test for balance issues, economic exploits, and bugs that would only appear dozens of hours into the game, all while managing strict release deadlines.
My Approach & Actions
- I created and maintained long-term playthroughs to test the core farming, crafting, and monster-collecting loops for stability and balance.
- I developed comprehensive test plans that were used by both internal testers and external partners to ensure consistent coverage.
- I executed full compliance passes against all platform holder guidelines, including next-generation systems.
- I provided continuous feedback to the development partner to help them refine the user experience and overall game quality.
Impact & Results
- My thorough testing of the long-term progression systems helped the team identify and fix key balancing issues before launch.
- The test documentation I created ensured that both our internal and external teams were aligned, leading to more efficient bug reporting and verification.
- My work was crucial in ensuring the game passed certification on all platforms, contributing to a successful multi-platform release.
Technologies & Tools Used
- Jira (for bug tracking and reporting)
- Confluence (for test documentation)
- All major console platforms (PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo, Stadia, Luna)
- PC platforms (Steam, Epic)