LEVEL DESIGN - LEVEL 3

DESCRIPTION

Genre: Third-Person Puzzle Game

Team: 4-6 people
Platform: PC-Windows (Steam)

Release date: TBA

NARRATIVE

You wake up as Bulky in an ancient temple. The civilization that once created you is long gone, and you must discover why it happened and how to escape the ruins of the temple.

In this particular level, Bulky comes from understanding that they are the last one of their kind and their creators are gone or dead. To continue understanding what happened, they need to cross a broken bridge.

CONTRIBUTION

Main Position: Level Designer
Duration: February 2022 - June 2023

Designed 15 levels across 2 worlds, focusing on pacing, design intention, narrative setting, and gameplay balance.
Ensured strong readability and gameplay balance in final dressed levels by collaborating closely with the environment artist through regular feedback and iteration.
Documented the levels and their design goals to better understand the pacing and overall progression of the game.

OVERVIEW

TOP DOWN

LEVEL FLOWCHART

PRODUCTION

DESIGN GOALS

Design a level that expands from the previous ones, asking the player to create different bridges with the same metallic plate.
Combine both the metallic plate and the canisters in a low-difficulty setting. Until this point, the player hasn't used them at the same level.
Use the layout and props to suggest to the player the narrative setting and mood: they are alone inside the ruins of a forgotten temple.

DESIGN PROCESS

Gathered references on how the space of ancient temples and pits with bridges looked like with the same references of the old levels.
Created the first iteration both of the layout and the blockout.
Iterated the blockout according to the feedback provided. The main goal of the level (cross the broken bridge) wasn't clear enough for the players.
Modified the layout to better use techniques such as lighting, composition, and one-way valves.

LAYOUT

REFERENCES

I searched for different visual references, to achieve the following goals:

Create a believable space for an Aztec-inspired temple.
Understand better the different rooms of a temple and give them a narrative purpose and hierarchy.
Add space for decoration that will enrich the narrative of the level (statues, altars, broken pillars, ...).

DESIGN TECHNIQUES

VISUAL LANGUAGE

During pre-production of the level and the game, I wanted all the interactable items with Bulky's powers to be easily associated and recognizable.

To accomplish this, all said elements have a part of them that is purple, and a shape that resembles a gear.

Another important aspect of visual language is the use of pipes and steam to indicate to the player which machines are connected or where they are located in a particular room.

An example can be seen in this level, where the final door is connected through a hole at the wall, leading into the adjacent room

COMPOSITION

To help the player associate how to safely cross the bridge, I put the starting metal plate below the gap, so the players see it when deciding if they can cross, or not, the bridge.

This way I reinforce the idea of using it, offering them a solution to the problem they just found (broken bridge).

ONE-WAY VALVES

To avoid unnecesary complexity, all levels are divided into separated areas, some of which are non-returnable using "Valves".

In the case of this level, the player can't return to the bridge area until the end, not allowing unnecesary backtracking and use of the puzzle elements.

LIGHTING & BREADCRUMBS

To also help the player understand where the next goal is located, I added purple crystals that glow. This helped the player identify the correct path to follow.

Additionally, they understand that if they can see a purple light, that area is accesible and has something of interes for them.

ENVIRONMENTAL STORYTELLING

To better convey the mood of a ruined temple, I collaborated with the environment artist to capture this ruinous mood, modifying the blockouts to add broken pillars, holes in some walls, and other modifications that help tell the story of the temple.

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