SnapReflex

Inspiration The inspiration came from the core loop of Snapchat itself: the rapid, muscle-memory actions of opening, sending, and dismissing Snaps. We wanted to take those everyday gestures and gamify them into a high-stakes, arcade-style experience that tests how fast a user can think and react under pressure.

What it does SnapReflex is a fast-paced reaction game. Players are presented with a sequence of actions—Open, Send, or Dismiss—which they must memorize and execute before the timer runs out. As levels progress, the sequences get longer and the time window shrinks, creating a "pulse-pounding" challenge. It features:

Procedural Difficulty: Levels scale dynamically as the player improves.

Tactile Feedback: Spring-based UI animations and screen flashes for "juicy" gameplay.

Global Competition: Integrated Snapchat Leaderboards to rank against friends and the world.

How we built it The Lens was built using Lens Studio and JavaScript.

Game Engine: A custom state machine manages transitions between showing sequences and player input.

UI/UX: We used procedural math for "Spring Animations" to make the UI feel alive without heavy assets.

Backend: Integrated the Leaderboard Custom Component to handle cloud-based score syncing.

Logic: C++ was used as a foundational logic reference to optimize the sorting and timing algorithms used in the final JavaScript implementation.

Challenges we ran into The biggest challenge was balancing the Visual Polish with performance. We wanted a "Shake and Flash" effect that felt intense but didn't distract the player from the sequence. Fine-tuning the "Red Zone" jitter (where the UI vibrates as the timer dies) took multiple iterations to ensure it provided urgency without making the text unreadable.

Accomplishments that we're proud of We are particularly proud of the UI "Juice." By using spring physics instead of static animations, every tap feels responsive. We also successfully integrated the global leaderboard, turning a simple solo game into a social platform where players can fight for the top spot in real-time.

What we learned We learned a great deal about Asynchronous programming in Lens Studio, specifically regarding how to handle cloud score submissions while maintaining a smooth 60fps frame rate. We also explored the psychology of "Game Feel"—how small additions like a 0.1s screen flash can significantly improve player satisfaction.

What's next for SnapReflex The future of SnapReflex includes:

Combo Multipliers: Extra points for rhythmic, perfectly timed taps.

Head-to-Head Mode: A turn-based version where you can challenge a specific friend to beat your sequence.

Themed Skins: Unlockable UI colors and sound kits based on high-score milestones.