LAMByrinth (Level Design)

Concepted and built 7 unique levels during this 48 hr game jam. Worked to showcase the potential of various puzzle mechanics, and ensured they were revealed to the player at a reasonable pace. The later levels ramp up the difficulty to showcase the possibility space of the game.

One of the more complex levels of the bunch. The goal of each puzzle is to navigate the little lamb boy over to the door, but while the room is in 3 dimensions, you are only able to move in 2 (up/down, left/right). In order to move deeper into the level, you must rotate the cube by clicking on the frame and spinning it.

This is the same level, with the cube now rotated 90 degrees. the layout of the level changes while doing this as well, which adds to the challenge of the puzzle and forces the player to think carefully about where they are standing when they spin between the different sides of the cube.

This was my first time ever participating in a game jam, and I was definitely very nervous going into it! Luckily I was in a team with some good friends and we were able to work together and cover different aspects of the game. This experience was incredible, and taught me a lot not only about level design specifically, but also about managing priorities within a project and making tough decisions in order to complete things on time.

You can play the game HERE to see the other levels, or you can scroll down to see snapshots of all of the different levels.

LEVEL 1:

These first few levels are meant to serve as a tutorial for the player, getting them familiar with the goals and controls. You are technically able to rotate the cube during these levels, but it is not needed to complete them.

LEVEL 2:

I wanted to use these tutorial levels to introduce the dimensions of the game one at a time. In this one, the players learn that they can use the ladders to travel deeper into the level.

LEVEL 3:

This level finally requires the player to spin the cube to navigate to the door. They also will notice that cubes will change from one side to the other, which must be factored into their attempt to solve the puzzle.

yes, this room has cheese in it!

LEVEL 4:

Introducing the Pushblock, a block that can be, well, pushed. They will need to push it into place in order to access the door. This is the last 'tutorial' level, and the following ones use the information gained up to here to test the player's puzzlin skills.

LEVEL 5:

The shift in difficulty can be noted by the changing themes. This is definitely the most visually cluttered level, and if I had more time to alter anything I would try to revise this level in order to simplify it down.

The player must traverse up to the push block and push it down to the bottom, and use it to get to the door.

LEVEL 6:

By far my favorite level and the one I feel has the most successful design. Players have gotten used to traveling all the way up the ladder to the top, but this will only lead to them falling back down to the bottom. Instead, they will need to spin the cube while still holding on to the ladder, allowing them to continuing climbing after they have spun the cube. This provides a very powerful "Aha!" moment for the player.

LEVEL 7:

This final level combines the pushblock mechanic with the new idea of spinning the cube onto a ladder, even when the space beneath you is removed. This should be a great opportunity for the player to prove their mastery over this new idea and gain their confidence. This is a much easier level than the previous one, but instead of ordering the level purely by difficulty, mixing up the order improves the interest curve of the game and keeps things feeling dynamic.

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