Figure 1: An overview of the entire level. Meteors rain down in some sections, (1 and 3) destroying terrain. Additionally, in section 2 there is a rising acid floor the player must contend with. The player’s goal is to reach the teleporter (4) at the end of the level. The sections marked in black are optional alternate paths the player may take.

Figure 2: Beginning the level, the player can either decide to move to the left or to the right. Upon moving in either direction, the player will see a meteor (1) fall in front of them, destroying nearby terrain. This teaches the player that the meteors can destroy the landscape, and are to be avoided. Meteors (1) fall towards the player in the section of the level directly after, where the player must avoid both the falling meteors and spike pits (3). If the player is unfortunate enough to fall down one of the holes created by the meteors, there are platforms (2) placed to catch the player and allow them to jump back up to where they were.

Figure 3: A few simple spike jumps (2) begin this section to rehearse the player’s platforming skill while more meteors (1) rain down on the level. Soon after, a wall of spikes (4) forces the player to jump down into a cave section. The spikes are designed so that the player won’t hit the right wall even if they hold right for the entire jump, giving this jump the illusion of difficulty to maintain tension, while ensuring the player makes the jump. This drop sets up the next section of the level, which aims to be more of a vertical platforming challenge. After the final spike jump of the section (5), the player reaches the level’s first checkpoint (6), which allows the player to respawn there. Alternatively, the player may notice that one of the holes left by the falling meteors has a background behind it, unlike the others. If the player decides to venture down, they discover a secret room with a health pickup (3). This hidden section then leads back to the main path before the checkpoint.

Figure 4: After making their way through the small underground passage, the player enters a tall chamber with runes emblazoned on the walls. The strange symbols begin to glow bright red as a warning to evacuate displays. It doesn’t take the player long to figure out that this isn’t a good sign, and the acid rising towards them (1) probably isn’t fit for a swim. To escape, the player must platform their way to the top of the chamber and reach the next checkpoint (5). Near the top of the room is a health pickup (4). While climbing to the top, they may notice that the boxes below (2 and 3) have begun to float atop the acid pool. The player must either jump across the floating boxes, or ride them to the top of the room.

Figure 5: After making it out of the vertical section, the meteors (1) return. Initially, this room seems line it would require a great deal of tricky jumps, but the meteors are actually positioned to kill many of the room’s enemies. This is to give the player a bit of a break, while teaching them that the meteors are capable of dealing damage (if they weren’t hit by one in an earlier section). The player must make their way through the collapsing cave, with melee enemies (3) and ranged enemies (2) to deal with as they work to reach the next checkpoint (5). There’s a health pickup (4) near the end of this section gated behind a small optional platforming challenge.

Figure 6: After escaping the enemy-infested cave, a slow moving wall of acid slowly creeps up behind them with no signs of stopping. This final challenge features a dangerous downward climb, with four switches atop strange blue pillars with a circuit-like design, with transparent runic spikes that appear to be inactive (1). Each of the circuits connects each switch to a respective gate. With a pool of acid below the lined circuits (4), the player must avoid or defeat the enemies in the room (3), and hit each of the switches (1) to open the gates (2). Upon hitting each of the four switches, the spikes on the circuits light up, forming an additional hazard for the player to avoid. Each switch requires a well timed jump or some platforming to hit. The last of the switches is entirely optional, but leads to the level’s final health pickup.

Figure 7: In this final section of the level, the end is in sight, with the exit (4) just out of reach. There are two paths the player can take to progress. The top path is blocked off by destructible stone pillars (1), while the bottom path is blocked by a gate from the previous room. In addition to a health pickup, the bottom path features only a single pillar, making it a faster route to the exit. Both paths converge upon a final pillar and a wall of rubble (3) that requires five hits to destroy. Though far less difficult than the rest of the level, this final section builds tension for a satisfying end to the level.

Figure 8: A challenge graph of the level, mapping the level’s difficulty (on a scale from 0 to 10 with 10 being incredibly difficult) over time (measured in seconds).

Key: I divided my level into individual sections, and labeled each section with boxes showcasing which types of spaces, and rewards exist within those areas.

• Sections outlined in Red represent Prospect Spaces: areas where the player is in active danger, and must regularly take action to avoid the danger.

   

• Sections outlined in Blue represent Refuge Spaces: areas with no active threats to the player, and are intended to give the player breaks or allow them to return to safety after scouting ahead.

   

• Sections circled in Green represent Rewards of Sustenance: rewards for the player that give them a direct in-game benefit such as additional health or a respawn point.

   

• Sections circled in Yellow represent Rewards of Access: rewards for the player that allow them to reach a previously inaccessible area.

   

• Sections circled in Cyan represent Rewards of Glory: the end of a particularly difficult challenge where completion can feel like its own reward.

Figure 1: This prospective space acts as the level’s first challenge. Meteors rain down from the sky, destroying some of the terrain, presenting an immediate threat, though for an optional challenge, the player can travel down the holes in the terrain made by the meteors, and discover some health pickups, and a secret room that acts as a safe zone. After proceeding down either path, the player makes their way into a cave, shielding them from the falling meteors. As such, the cave acts as a refuge space for the player to give them a rest before the next obstacle. As a final reward, the end of the cave contains the level’s first checkpoint, marking the end of the section.

Figure 2: This second section of the level features the constant threat of rising acid. As such, there is no area of refuge for the player until the checkpoint at the end. To make up for its relative difficulty, this section is by far the level’s shortest. A health pickup is available near the top of the platforming challenge, serving as a reward for reaching the section’s halfway point, and allowing the player to make additional attempts if they fail the final tricky jumps. Upon reaching the health pickup, floating boxes rise with the acid, and serve as platforms the player can stand on while they make their final jumps towards the safety of the next checkpoint.

Figure 3: Similar to the beginning of the level, Section 3 prominently features a large prospective space. The cave, an area previously safe to the player, has begun to collapse, as the falling meteors have managed to breach the ceiling. Enemies line this dangerous portion of the cavern, likely fleeing their hideaways amidst the collapse. This combination of meteors and enemies serve as Section 3’s primary challenge. This seemingly dangerous chamber is not without safety however, as the enemies do not respawn once defeated. A more dedicated refuge space does also exist as a reward for a small platforming challenge, and contains a health pickup. Once finished, the player reaches the level’s final checkpoint, which also acts as the level’s final refuge space.

Figure 4: Similar to how Section 3 builds upon ideas from Section 1, Section 4 builds upon the ideas introduced by Section 2. Upon leaving the safety of the final checkpoint, the player discovers a narrow hallway lined with enemies and transparent runic spikes. Additionally, they realize that a slow-moving wall of acid has begun to close in on them from the left, and that they have to hurry if they want to survive. Rewards of access are heavily made use of here, as the room’s switches are required to open the three gates to the exit, with a fourth switch serving as an optional challenge to open the way to a health pickup. As this is the level’s final and most difficult challenge, refuge spaces are entirely absent before the exit portal.

Figure 5: Presenting little in the way of challenge, Section 5 serves as a “victory lap” to release the tension built by the rest of the level. While the threat of the acid wall from Section 4 still remains, there aren’t many obstacles obstructing the player’s path to the end of the level. As the player reaches the exit portal, their escape from the near-constant danger presented by the meteors, acid, and collapsing cave serves as a relief, rewarding the player with the glory of their accomplishment.

Problems I Solved over the Iteration Process: This level is all about stress levels and tension, as many escape sequences in games often are. My main goal when designing this level was to push the player towards the more high-stress area of the flow state: to keep the player on their toes without overwhelming them. I did this by making the actual platforming and combat sections of the level on the lower end of the difficulty spectrum, while having many different flashy obstacles that appear far more difficult than they are in reality. Though the level’s penultimate section picks up the pace and introduces a considerable amount of difficulty, ensuring that all of the tension the level was building isn’t wasted. Finally, the last section of the level, only consisting of a few breakable pillars and, mainly exists to give the player one final feeling tension as they think “Can I break these in time?”, before they reach the final teleporter and escape.

Looking Back (Written Halfway Through the Project): By far the biggest choice I had to make when designing this level was how to handle making an escape sequence using the game’s limited level creation tools. Not much was in place for a fast-paced level, so I had to improvise and string existing objects, scripts, and mechanics together to get things to work. Additionally, balancing the level’s difficulty and tension also posed a significant challenge. While my initial method of creating tension was with high difficulty, I ultimately decided to tone things down in favor of using permanent moving acid walls as an ever-present threat to the player’s survival. This creates tension without the frustration of excessive difficulty, and serves to make the level stressful, yet entirely achievable to complete.

Postmortem: While there were many choices to be made about the level from its offset, by far the most significant and impactful decisions were the ones I made during the iteration process. Foremost among which is my decision to remove the acid walls from the level in every section except the very last one. From data gathered during playtesting, I discovered that while the acid walls were successful in their intended purpose, they weren’t the most effective or fun way of creating tension. After realizing this, I decided that the best way of maintaining tension would be to add additional, non-permanent environment obstacles in the level, and the result of my scripting and playtesting process was the terrain-destroying meteors featured prominently throughout the level.