Project C
Role: Game/Level Designer, Writer & Programmer
Tools: Unreal Engine 4, WWise, Visual Studio
Project C is a Narrative Driven First-Person Puzzle Platformer with a Time Manipulation Mechanic that plays like a blend of Portal, Quantum Conondrum and Braid which sees you solving Time and Physics-based puzzles by Slowing, Pausing and Rewinding Time.
The game takes place in Ancient mysterious Ruins on a great Mountain. Its First Section is complete with 14 Levels designed to naturally teach the player the Mechanics and Components of the game while keeping both their wits and skills challenged.
Mechanics
Slow
Slow Down Time for puzzle solving and platforming
Pause
Pause Time to use objects as platforms or re-direct their velocity.
Rewind
Rewind Time to traverse the environment and activate components again.
The Game
The game started as a Project where i researched about Tutorials in Video Games.
The game leaned early on to something in First-Person as I was the sole developer and couldn't rely on characters and animations etc. and wanted to showcase interesting design.
I had an old idea of Rewinding and Fast forwarding time and manipulating objects during their different states, so I did research with this in mind and got a lot of inspirations in terms of Level Design and Puzzle Components, mainly from Portal and Quantum Conundrum.
I brainstormed with the components and mechanics in mind to get a sense of the amount of variations of puzzles that could be made by combining them with each other.
I then prototyped the Mechanic and some Components and saw the potential and decided to continue.
I returned to the project due to the good feedback I had gotten of the prototype.
But I wanted it to move away from other games in the genre that often times tried to mimic Portal 2's success.
This meant no testing chambers or in-game narrator, but instead have a strong focus on the Main Character that could not only be used to channel the emotional beats to the player but also be the face of marketing which can make a big difference in terms of sales.Often times its the Characters of a game that you remember more than the actual plot lines.
The Original Prototype
Portal gave me good inspirations when it came to the Puzzle Components and Spatialization. Using the Components to control where the Player / Cubes can move to and create puzzles utilizing that.
I got a lot of inspiration from this game for the Slow Motion Mechanic and it's platforming elements and Level Design Style with great hallways that you fly through on Spawning Objects.
For the original Prototype i borrowed heavily from Antichambers simplistic Art Style since it was the only kind I could make and still have the game look somewhat visually interesting.
Portal gave me good inspirations when it came to the Puzzle Components and Spatialization. Using the Components to control where the Player / Cubes can move to and create puzzles utilizing that.
Inspirations for the Prototype
The Intro Flashback
Since I wanted the game to appeal to a Mid and Hardcore audience, the Art style and Setting had to be something inviting, warm and somewhat grounded in reality, but still flexible enough where the levels could take on any shape you want and have unnatural things in it without creating a disconnect from the player.
Something that was artistically beautiful, akin to games like Journey and Breath of The Wild but with the interesting game play and level design of Portal and Quantum Conundrum.
An Ancient Temple Ruin Setting enabled all these things and with a Semi-Stylized Art style it could appeal to a wider audience and give it a better chance at getting funded at Kick starter since those types of games tend to do well there.
This setting also allowed for a lot variation in terms of Atmosphere and Mood which i wanted to make it feel varied and immersive throughout.
The player can Slow, Pause and Rewind Time with great flexibility which works well with the platforming elements of the game.
The player can in sense decide the difficulty of the game on the fly where the slower the time is, the easier it will be.
In combination with several different Puzzle Components that is designed around this Mechanic as well as the Players spatial movement, gives the game variety as the Mechanics and Components are carefully introduced and re-iterated upon to not only teach the player the rules and logic but to keep the gameplay fresh.
The Time Manipulation Device
I like to clean up the First-Draft Sketch in Photoshop if there is time but I didn't have it
I like to clean up the First-Draft Sketch in Photoshop if there is time but I didn't have it
From Sketch -> White Box -> Concept -> Block Out
I like to clean up the First-Draft Sketch in Photoshop if there is time but I didn't have it
I like to clean up the First-Draft Sketch in Photoshop if there is time but I didn't have it
From Sketch -> White Box -> Concept
When designing the levels I took a lot of inspiration from Portals Design Principles where each Mechanic and Component gets introduced and then re-iterated with an evolution or combination with something new to solidify the learning process and give variety to the game play by always making the player use a mechanic or component in a slightly new way.
With this approach, and the set of Mechanics and Components I had, I could decide early on what Mechanics and Components would get introduced in what order, where the simplest would be introduced first. Thus giving me an idea of what a level was going to be about before I ever even put pen to paper. This made coming up with the puzzles for the level much smoother since i knew what was going to be re-iterated and what was going to be introduced.
I always start with top-down sketches and it proved invaluable to really spend time with them and find the ways the player can break the puzzle and fixing them before moving into the engine.
The Narrative and Art also gave direction to the theme of the level. I wanted variety in terms of the Atmosphere and Mood, which is why the game starts off warm and welcoming as the player learns the basics and gets a Hint at their End Goal. Then gradually gets darker, where the characters is meant to be in a more vulnerable state when the Antagonist is hinted at. Afterwards becomes more brighter at a Sky lit Courtyard which ends with her seeing the ruins she has traveled through from a new perspective, giving closure and puts her in a reflective state where we can explore her mind.
These emotional beats that I wanted the player to have shaped the levels atmosphere and mood.
This approach is something that would continue to be used in future Sections since new Puzzle Components and Areas of the Ruins will be introduced, so in a sense The Tutorial Design is relevant throughout the game.
Narrative Design
The Premise
The story is about a young girl whose brother one day disappears mysteriously.
Afterwards the girl found a glowing blue pendant that seemed to guide her somewhere far away. Desperate and out of options she followed the strange Pendant in the hopes of finding her lost brother.
After years of travel, driven by her guilt of the past, she finally found a glimmer of hope as she stood in front of a great Mountain covered by war torn ruins. A familiar blue glow could be seen through the swirling clouds in the mountains top. This is the where the pendant guided her to, this is the where she would finally find the answers that she has been seeking for for so long.
The World and Ruins
Main Character
The Character
Our Protagonist has a lot of character and emotions but can also show two dimensional elements so she can be used as a vessel for the player involvement.
She is a middle point between characters like Link from The Legend of Zelda and Ryo Hazuki from Shenmue where she might not talk all the time, but her expressions and actions show who she is and what her feelings and thoughts are.
It is a very Personal Story with a heavy focus on the character and what she is going through, her inner conflict, how she will be forced to deal with it and what she hopes to find.
This is what differentiates the game from other Indie First-Person Puzzle platformers where often times the player might not know or see the character they play, and where most of the story is told through a narrator and is driven by the world or other characters rather than the main character being the one making things happen.
The Theme
The Theme of the game is directly tied into the Game Mechanic which is about Manipulating and Rewinding Time.
This directed the story where the character have had something happen to her in her past that she seeks answers to.
It is thus a Coming of Age story which is about the experiences of the Girl, how she grows and have to face her troubled past, the wish to change what has happened in the past, growing into the moment and self sacrifice.
Structure