Role - Game & Level Designer

Genre - 2D/Puzzle/Platformer

Dev. Time - 2 months

Made in - Unity - C#

Design Goals:

• Forge a unique, unexplored gameplay experience.

• Employ innovative and unconventional level design to engage varied cognitive skills.

• Adhere to personal design philosophies while ensuring scalability for future expansion.

Personal Goal:

• Creating my first personal game project.

General Concept

Framing of My Life is a puzzle-platformer game in which you play as a child living inside paintings. Unlike the vibrant world around, the child is devoid of color and distinctive features. The objective is for the child to explore each painting, uncovering what is missing in its life. Players have the ability to walk, jump, climb, and collect various objects, such as scattered puzzle pieces, which unlock more paintings (levels) for exploration.

The initial goal for this game was to craft a challenge that requires players to not only navigate through levels but also manipulate their environment to reach the end goal. This concept naturally evolved into the theme and tone of my first ambitious game project, seamlessly blending gameplay mechanics with an engaging narrative.

DEVELOPMENT PROCESS

My primary role in this project was as the game and level designer.

• After establishing the core design and level design features, my design process involved:

  1. Designing level components that were compatible and synchronized with the core design and other features.

  2. Communicating the design with coders and artists.

  3. Creating paper prototypes with post-it notes (See Image 2).

  4. Setting up and analyzing playtesting.

  5. Building playable levels in Unity (See Image 3).

High-Level Design Presentation

The game comprises four levels, with the first serving as a dedicated tutorial. In this high-level design presentation, I will deconstruct the tutorial and the first level, detailing my thought process and design decisions. A video demonstration is available below.

Tutorial

1. The player starts and sees diegetic tutorial text at the bottom of each frame, a choice that harmonizes with the established painting theme.

2. There is an open space for the player to walk around and familiarize themselves with the controls in a safe environment. Moving to the right edge of the frame transports the player to another painting, introducing an innovative way of navigating through levels rather than traditional side-scrolling.

3. In this section, jumping is introduced. Utilizing small steps to teach the jump mechanic is a simple yet effective method.

4. The game's primary collectible is introduced, designed to be impossible to miss or avoid. Placing the puzzle piece alone in a non-descript room serves to underscore its significance.

5. A ladder is introduced. Simply pressing up causes the player's avatar to attach to and climb it.

6. A moment for player choice is presented. The rationale behind this branching path will be explored in a subsequent section.

7. The next frame introduces the core gameplay mechanic – the Framing ability. Similar to the earlier presentation of the puzzle piece, this frame is deliberately left empty to emphasize the significance of this new ability.

8. Activating Framing with the shift key zooms the camera out…

9. …revealing graffiti on the wall that instructs players on how to move paintings.

Side note: If there's one aspect I'd revise, it would be to more clearly differentiate between movable and immovable paintings. Currently, interactable paintings highlight green when hovered over with the mouse. Ideally, additional visual cues would be used, such as indicating that static paintings are nailed to the wall, to make this distinction clearer.

10. A personal favorite touch is the graffiti that appears once the first painting is moved. The intention behind this design choice is to conceal instructions until they are needed, avoiding an overload of information in the scene.

11. The valve system is then introduced. Interacting with the main console opens a door. This instance of the valve system is confined to a single frame, simplifying the demonstration of cause and effect.

12. I previously mentioned a forthcoming discussion on a split path in point 6. The reason behind this choice is…

13. ...to uncover a secret frame that remains concealed in framing mode.

14. Opting for the upper path guides the player to a ledge. By employing the Framing ability from this location, they reveal a secret frame in the upper left corner, which is not visible under normal circumstances. Attaining this area necessitates precise actions to ascend to the secretive frame.

My most insightful observation, verging on a hypothesis, is that nearly no players identify this specific puzzle piece on their initial playthrough. However, it is universally discovered during their second journey, consistently leading to an "Aha!" moment.

This observation demonstrates that players, after familiarizing themselves with the Framing mechanic, start to examine and interact with each frame in a manner distinct from their first encounter. My objective was to encourage players to revisit previously explored areas equipped with fresh insights—leveraging the same abilities—and to recognize their exploration within a "negative possibility space."

15. Next, players face another valve puzzle, where the console and the obstructive door span two separate frames. Aligning two pipes is essential to activate the mechanism, reinforcing the player's understanding of framing and valve interaction within the same context.

16. A slight detour presents an opportunity to obtain another puzzle piece. Unlike the first, acquiring this piece requires the player's active choice, making it an optional challenge that rewards exploration and decision-making.

17. The tutorial culminates with a locked door, the key to which is conveniently located nearby. Possession of the key allows players to exit the level, marking the end of the tutorial. At this juncture, it is presumed that players have grasped the core mechanics integral to progressing through the game.

Level 1

Level 1 presents a compact and focused challenge, comprising just 3 frames, all of which are interactive. For the purpose of this demonstration, each frame is color-coded to simplify the explanation of how the level's structure changes—a visual aid not employed within the actual gameplay. This section aims to offer insight into the design principles and reasoning behind the level's challenges rather than detailed mechanics.

1. First Frame (Image 3): Initiating the level, players find themselves in a restricted space with a puzzle piece straightforwardly placed in their path. This approach, consistent with the tutorial's, ensures that obtaining one or two of the three puzzle pieces is relatively straightforward, encouraging basic progression while providing additional challenges for those striving for full completion.

2. Second Frame (Image 4): After adjusting the frames correctly, players can advance towards the key. To acquire the second puzzle piece, players need to employ a bold strategy: leaping and catching it during a fall. This design choice not only signals that descending is necessary for progression but also rewards the player's willingness to embrace risk for potential gain.

3. Third Frame (Image 5): Completing the level beyond this point is relatively straightforward, catering to players primarily interested in progressing through the game. However, to achieve 100% completion, a unique challenge is presented: the frames must be returned to their initial positions. This adjustment allows access to the final puzzle piece by climbing a ladder, thus rewarding players who thoroughly engage with and manipulate the level's spatial dynamics.

In weaving these elements together, the deconstruction highlights the balance between guiding the player towards easy achievements for basic progression and challenging completionists with intricate spatial puzzles. This design philosophy ensures that the game remains accessible and engaging for a broad spectrum of players, from those seeking a straightforward path through the narrative to those driven by the allure of full completion.

Conclusion

"Framing of My Life" marked a significant milestone early in my game development career.

Just six months in, I gathered a team of talented individuals to bring to life a small idea I had pitched. This decision stands out as one of the best I've ever made, allowing me to lead a dedicated team in realizing my vision of a puzzle-platformer where innovative level design was at the heart of both the game and its gameplay. At the time, achieving this was a source of immense pride.

What I hadn't anticipated was the broader recognition the game would receive for its inventive use of level design as a core game mechanic. "Framing of My Life" became a finalist at the Swedish Game Awards 2015 for Best Execution in Design. While we didn't clinch the top spot, the outcome was secondary to the pride I felt for our collective effort. Looking back, I see this game as a foundational achievement in my career, a testament to the power of collaboration and innovative design.

Swedish Game Awards Gala - Stockholm 20/06/2015

Gonzalo Maldonado - Composer
Patricia Möllerström - Enviroment Artist
Robert Alm Nilsson - Programmer

Natassja Bérkan - Animator & Character Artist
Alex Bräysy - Game & Level Designer