OVERVIEW
MY ROLE
- - Complete level life cycle: initial conception, blockmesh, final detailing
- Balancing and tuning levels
- Creating and pitching feature specs, e.g.: power-ups and abilities
- Tutorial design
- Writing dialogues and overseeing localization
DESIGN CHALLENGES
GUIDED DISCOVERY
The challenge was teaching complex bombing mechanics and power-up systems to casual players without front-loading tons of instructions.
I designed tutorial levels that introduced one concept at a time through environmental storytelling and forced interactions. Players learned by doing rather than reading, with visual cues guiding optimal play patterns.
New players could jump in immediately while still mastering the deeper systems organically.
CONTROLLED CHAOS
The challenge was designing levels where players could blow up almost everything while still maintaining clear objectives and preventing players from accidentally making levels unwinnable.
I created level layouts with multiple solution paths and strategic indestructible anchor points that preserved core routes. Used visual hierarchy to guide players toward optimal bombing spots while leaving room for creative destruction. Playtested extensively to identify potential soft-lock scenarios.
Players got the satisfying chaos of blowing stuff up without getting stuck or confused about what they were supposed to accomplish.
TOOL DEVELOPMENT
The challenge was building our first custom level editor from scratch while actively using it for production, meaning every bug directly impacted content creation deadlines.
