Introduction:

Shield Hero is a 3D, top-down action level where the player controls a hero who can jump, climb, and throw a shield to defeat enemies and navigate obstacles. The objective is to start in a warehouse yard and make it all the way to the roof, where a boss monster awaits. The level was designed as a vertical slice to showcase core mechanics like combat, traversal, and basic AI interaction. This postmortem reflects on the development process, what went well, and what could have gone better during the project timeline.

Link to Gameplay Video:

https://youtu.be/FgT98ymCIA0?si=fvHtNFIQ69iPz34G

What Went Right:

Core Mechanics Implementation – Shield throw and shield platform mechanics were functional and fun. Players responded positively to how throwing the shield could be used for both combat and traversal.

Level Flow & Layout – The warehouse design had a clear beginning, middle, and end. Playtesters generally knew where to go, and the upward progression gave a good sense of momentum.

Boss Fight Setup – Even though there was only one boss, setting it up on the roof gave the level a climactic ending. It worked well as a final goal and challenge.

Testing and Feedback – Internal testing helped uncover bugs like players skipping areas or not triggering events. External testers also provided valuable feedback on movement, combat pacing, and clarity.

Time Management (within reason) – Despite real-life stress and a tight timeline, major deliverables were completed. Prioritizing key mechanics helped make sure the core gameplay loop worked.

What Went Wrong:

Lack of Cooldowns – Early versions of the shield throw and platform didn’t have cooldowns, which caused gameplay imbalances and some unintended behaviors.

Missing Kill Zones & Edge Cases – Some areas didn’t have proper kill volumes, leading to potential softlocks or players falling infinitely if they reached unintended heights.

Camera Issues – The top-down camera didn’t always behave properly around tight spaces or elevation changes. This made climbing or jumping sections feel awkward at times.

Buggy Target System – One of the targets in the shooting range was unreliable, sometimes not registering hits. This caused confusion during testing.

Lack of Visual Direction – Some parts of the level were missing clear indicators or visual cues, which made it harder for players to know where to go next or what to interact with.

Conclusion:

Overall, Shield Hero was a challenging but rewarding project that taught me a lot about implementing mechanics, designing spaces around them, and responding to player feedback. While there were definite issues with polish and some mechanics needing more time, I’m proud of the progress I made. With more time, I would improve clarity, clean up bugs, and enhance the visual feedback systems. Still, this project was a great step forward in understanding how to build a small but complete gameplay experience from start to finish