What is WorkRush and how is it different from other typing games?

WorkRush is a survival game where players type task memos to clear them before the queue overwhelms them. Unlike many typing games that focus on accuracy, WorkRush uses the phone keyboard itself to create arcade style pressure and a survival challenge.

What is the core gameplay loop in WorkRush?

Players continuously type incoming task memos to remove them from a list. The goal is to survive for as long as possible against an ever increasing stream of work, incorporating elements like boss interruptions and support memos to aid survival.

How does WorkRush address the challenges of mobile keyboard input?

The game's interface was repeatedly rebuilt to ensure the task queue remains visible and input focus is stable despite the keyboard occupying screen space. Design choices prioritize keeping the typing target visible and accommodating different input methods like Korean IME.

What kind of upgrades and progression systems are available in WorkRush?

Players can unlock AI assistants and other support skills that reduce typing pressure or offer strategic advantages. There are also systems for collecting coins, building a career rank, and choosing run upgrades to enhance survivability.

What advice does the developer have for other mobile game designers?

Design your user interface around the mobile keyboard as a primary consideration, especially if your game involves typing. Test with real language input methods early, and ensure the player's typing target is always visible. Value honest playtester feedback as a critical design tool.

Work Rush: Building a Survival Game Around a Phone Keyboard

Most typing games begin with accuracy scores and lessons. Work Rush began with a different question: can the phone keyboard itself create the pressure of an arcade survival game? The idea began in a conversation with my wife. She suggested turning the familiar feeling of office tasks piling up into a game played through the phone keyboard itself. I am Jaehoon Lee, a solo developer working under Songi Store, and she became the first very honest playtester. When she said the early version was simply too hard to type on a phone, that feedback changed the game.

The game

Work Rush looks like a clean office memo list. New tasks keep arriving, and the player removes them by typing the exact memo text before the queue overloads. A quiet work screen gradually becomes crowded, boss instructions interrupt the rhythm, and support memos or active items can rescue a run. The goal is not perfect typing. It is surviving one more stretch of incoming work. Players collect support memos, unlock stronger effects, choose run upgrades, build a career rank, and spend earned coins between short sessions. Daily missions, collectible office files, and rankings give each short run a reason to continue. The game supports Korean and English and is currently available on Android.

Designing around the keyboard

The hardest design problem was not the word list. It was the mobile keyboard. On a phone, the keyboard takes up almost half the screen, Korean IME composition can leave partial characters behind, and a small layout shift can hide the memo the player is trying to type. We repeatedly rebuilt the play screen so the queue stays visible, input focus remains stable, and effects do not move the game objects. That same feedback loop shaped the systems. I reworked the keyboard-safe layout, softened the opening pace, and added support skills that reduce real typing pressure rather than only increasing score. Unlockable AI assistant, shields, slowdowns, cleanup, and extra capacity all exist to make the next stretch of work survivable, not just to inflate points.

What I would tell other mobile developers

If your game depends on typing, design the UI around the keyboard first. Test with your real language input method early. Keep the thing the player must type visible at all times. And treat honest playtest feedback as a design tool: one clear complaint about phone typing changed Work Rush more than any new word list ever did. Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.memosurvival.app

Work Rush: Building a Survival Game Around a Phone Keyboard

The game

Designing around the keyboard

What I would tell other mobile developers

Discussion about this post

Frequently asked questions

Stay in the Loop.

Work Rush: Building a Survival Game Around a Phone Keyboard

The game

Designing around the keyboard

What I would tell other mobile developers

Discussion about this post

Frequently asked questions

What is WorkRush and how is it different from other typing games?

What is the core gameplay loop in WorkRush?

How does WorkRush address the challenges of mobile keyboard input?

What kind of upgrades and progression systems are available in WorkRush?

What advice does the developer have for other mobile game designers?

More on this topic

Stay in the Loop.