2.5D PUZZLE ADVENTURE

Lost in a forgotten prison, discover powers buried within you. Between strength and spirit, find the balance to escape

JAIL

LEVEL DESIGN - GAME DESIGN - SOUND DESIGN

MENU

The player takes on the role of a demon hunter who has been imprisoned after sealing a demon inside himself. The demon eventually breaks the seal: it is imperative to pursue him.

This results in a series of puzzles, obstacles, and enemies to avoid, using the hunter's spiritual power: that of separating his mind from his body.

• Project completed in 1 month (full-time)

• Unity, Github, Gsuite, Nuclino, Discord

• Team of 10 people (level: Novice in video games)

• 3 poles : Game Design, Game Art & Game Programmer

About the game

Inspired by

• Inside (Dynamic 2.5D camera, semi-realistic)

• Cartoon platformers (responsive feel)

• Little Nightmare & Darkest Dungeon (DA...)

• S.o.T: Ferry of the Damned (Fire, mood spirit)

OVERVIEW

• Combine puzzle & platformer genres.
  ​(Work with GDs and leads from other departments)

  • Analyze multiple games in these genres.

  • Define what we want from both genres through brainstorming/meetings with the core team.

  • Imagine/draw the many potential game situations that would combine the two genres in the form of paper and digital LD sketches, mixing the GPE.

➡ We focused on the essentials to meet the tight deadline we had. In particular, we used classic GPE from 2.5D puzzle codes. This simple framework allowed us to exceed our expectations in a few areas thanks to the initiative taken by everyone. Example: Arthur's turrets (GP).

• Create a pleasant feel when holding the controller to navigate through the levels between each element, whether it be platformer or puzzle!
  (Work with GD, GP)

  • Test and modify metrics (character speed and animations, gravity, etc.) to make gameplay more responsive and dynamic, making it much more enjoyable and in line with our desire for semi-realism without clashing with other elements.

  • GPE that does not freeze the player, who can still perform actions even on the pressure plate. We opted for this choice in order to serve the Toy and reduce the execution time of the puzzle phases.

BREAKDOWN

Gameplay video in the section below. Game duration: ~10 min.

WALKTHROUGH

This was my first real group project. It was organized over four weeks (one sprint per week) with a naturally energetic pace, boosted by our personal and collective motivation. Obviously, the project wasn't flawless, as we had minimal experience and little time to work on it. But now I can clearly see areas for improvement.

What I would do differently today

• Level Design :​

  • Metrics for the environment better adapted to the character's metrics (ceiling height, platforms, etc.).

  • More coherent architecture for a prison (more distinguishable floors, around the play area, etc.).

• Game Design :

  • Review the experience and pillars:

    • Either refocus everything on the mind as the main mechanic and be more generous with it.

    • Or focus the game more on the complementarity of the Psychic and Physical by making both essential.

  • More original GPE, in line with our identity, but keeping functions that are easy for the player to understand (ON-OFF, Hold, etc.).

POST-MORTEM

Marius Queulin

TECHNICAL LEVEL DESIGNER