Roll & Rock
Educational Mobile Game
Graphics, Sound, Music, Website, Logo, & Level Editor Design
Project Overview
Roll & Rock is an educational mobile game for primary school students, set in a colorful, cartoon-inspired world. Players join Joe, the mysterious stonemason, as he travels to “mineworthy” locations – from Finland’s Saana and Japan’s Fuji to Australia’s Ayers Rock, Egypt’s pyramids, and finally Stonehenge – to uncover hidden gemstones.
Each level challenges players to solve puzzles by rotating red cube-like rolls featuring text, numbers, or pictures to match the correct pattern within a time limit. The game adapts seamlessly to subjects like math, languages, history, and the arts, making it a fun and versatile classroom tool.
Services Involved
Lasse Eronen
Education Entrepreneur & Scholar
University of Eastern Finland
I have collaborated with Eero since 2014 on multiple projects. He has proven to be an exceptionally creative and visionary thinker, both in graphic and musical solutions. At the same time, he is highly committed to logic and functionality, which has elevated our project execution to an excellent level.
Solutions created by Eero have always been delivered on time, and he has been highly attentive to the client’s needs. He’s an extremely reliable collaborator, and his contributions have been invaluable.
Marko Savikurki
QA Specialist & Game Developer
In 2015, I worked with Eero on the educational game Roll & Rock. While I handled the game programming, he was responsible for all visuals, music, sound effects, animation, and various production-related tasks. We later extended the collaboration to include the game’s official website, which Eero designed as well.
As the game programmer, I appreciated how carefully prepared and well-structured all the art and audio assets were. Everything was optimized and delivered in a way that made implementation quick and straightforward, which saved time and kept the development process smooth.
Having been involved in several game projects, I know how demanding it is to wear many hats in a single production. Eero managed that challenge exceptionally well, with a calm and organized approach that consistently led to high-quality results. Working with him gave me confidence that whatever we set out to build, we would absolutely get it done.
Since Roll & Rock, I’ve come across Eero’s other creative work, and it’s clear that his strengths in visual and musical design extend across a wide range of projects. I would gladly work with him again and can confidently recommend him for any role that demands creative quality, reliability, and attention to detail.
My Role & Contributions
Commissioned by NaviVeikot Oy (Kimmo Kotro and Lasse Eronen) and produced by Joensuu Games, I contributed all visual and auditory elements of the game, including its graphics, animations, sound effects, and original soundtrack.
Roll & Rock Logo
Some of the first things I did was creating the game’s logo, which highlights a partially-rotated red cube, the game’s central interactive element. The “&” symbol is stylized to have its letter “t” fluently resemble a pickaxe if you pause to look at it. Rounded “Roll” and “Rock” labels are placed symmetrically around the cube to direct attention to the center.
The Roll & Rock logo is animated in the start of the game to indicate loading © Eero Karvonen
I also created a horizontal variant for the website banner, in which the text and cube elements flow like a mountain range.
Horizontal logo © Eero Karvonen
Game Graphics & Assets
Central to the game is the stonemason Joe, brought to life through detailed 3D animations. The game’s visual assets also include diverse 3D environments, which were rendered into flat layers and later combined and animated programmatically. Additionally, the graphics feature various special items, such as gems, rocks, and stones, along with all the user interface elements.
The stiff, rock-gray Joe is trying hard to find a diamond inside. Maybe someone should teach him about ergonomics, though? © Eero Karvonen
Rolling the cubes © Eero Karvonen
More Animations
The idea of the game is to drag the cubes' faces to rotate them in the correct order in each level © Eero Karvonen
After finishing each level, the points will be calculated and the player is rewarded with a gem – or a lump of coal! © Eero Karvonen
This is actual footage from the demo level of the game © Eero Karvonen
Different level locations © Eero Karvonen
Official Website
We also collaborated with the game’s programmer, Marko Savikurki, to create the official website. Marko handled the web development, bringing to life the layouts and designs I had crafted. Later on, I took over further development and updates of the website. Click on the image below to visit the site and play some demos!
Roll & Rock website © Eero Karvonen
Level Editor 2.0
After the game’s launch, I designed a new, user-friendly level editor, enabling teachers to easily create and share custom challenges for their students. Programmers Peetu Nuottajärvi and Rene Orosz implemented the technical backend for the editor.
Original Soundtrack
The game’s original soundtrack, composed and produced by me, was later released separately as a digital album under the label Sharp Dis-Chord.
Creators
Original Team Hired by Joensuu Games
Hely Herranen, producer
Marko Savikurki, game programming
Tapani Toivonen, level editor programming
Eero Karvonen, music, sound, graphics
Further Development Team Contracted by Sharp Dis-Chord
Eero Karvonen, producer, lead designer
Marko Savikurki, game programming
Peetu Nuottajärvi, Rene Orosz, level editor programming
Important Milestone
The feedback I received from Roll & Rock inspired me to pursue multimedia projects more professionally. It was my first opportunity to integrate so many disciplines – design, sound, branding, and interactivity – into a unified, polished product.
Roll-up & Rock
And here’s a roll-up stand I designed for promoting the game in live events.
Roll & Rock roll-up stand © Eero Karvonen
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