Optillusion Games

Optillusion Games is an independent game development studio founded in 2019 by game designers Dong Zhou and Yijia Chen. Operating legally as Earendel Inc., the studio grew from an NYU Game Center graduate-project prototype into a developer of original interactive works centered on perspective, experimentation, and unconventional play.

Its breakout title, Moncage, uses an interconnected optical cube to turn shifts in viewpoint into puzzle-solving mechanics. The game launched for PC and mobile in 2021 before arriving on Nintendo Switch in 2022. Optillusion has since broadened its portfolio with Wade, an interactive art experience created for Triennale Milano; While Waiting, a satirical adventure about patience across everyday situations; and Pick Me Pick Me, an online conversation game using Large Language Models for emergent dating dialogue.

Design and development

The studio’s work combines interactive art with systems-driven game design. Its supported capabilities include:

• Optical-illusion and perspective-based puzzle design
• Narrative-driven and experimental interactive experiences
• Physics and environmental puzzle mechanics
• Unity 3D/2D development, gameplay scripting, and system architecture
• 3D modelling, environment art, and visual styling
• Cross-platform development for PC, mobile, and Nintendo Switch
• LLM integration for interactive AI-character dialogue

Optillusion develops proprietary original IP rather than operating as an external work-for-hire outsourcing studio. Its games span PC, iOS, Android, and console platforms, combining stylised visual worlds with accessible mechanics and conceptual themes.

Current and upcoming work

In 2025, the studio released While Waiting for PC and Nintendo Switch and launched Pick Me Pick Me in Early Access. Its announced projects include Rinthine, a stylised procedural labyrinth survival-crafting adventure, and Dreamplay Garden, an otome narrative exploration game for mobile. Across these projects, Optillusion continues to explore how puzzle structure, narrative context, and emerging interactive technologies can shape distinctive player experiences.