Perspective [proof of concept]
Solo Designer
With the power of gravity manipulation on your side, stumble through and fall towards the light at the end of the tunnel in the abstract, melancholic experience of Perspective.
This is a proof of concept game. The project was continued as a full prototype. After that, the game was adopted by a team of six individuals including myself to create a full game known as “Perspectives.” You can find out more about both of those projects by clicking on the buttons below.
Design Goals
Disorienting, not nauseating
Set up paths that require frequent gravity changes to progress through levels. The player should change gravity so often that they forget which orientation they were originally in.
Have the platforms that lead to the next level on a different orientation than the platform they arrived on to force the player to reset what their initial perception of “down” is.
UI elements and audio feedback help inform the player on which directions they can and can not change the gravity to.
Iterated and finely tuned the player’s perspective while changing gravity to prevent nausea.
“Down” is a relative concept
Designed and tweaked levels that could be completed in many different ways. The player should be able to have gravity be in any direction and still be able to beat the level.
Visuals reflect an abstract environment where gravity isn’t a single direction, but a possibility for several different directions.
Avoided using landmarks with overt distinctions that could be used as a reference for “up and down”.
Players should be rewarded for their creativity
Allow players to progress past archetypal platformer obstacles using gravity manipulation rather than just regular platforming.
Designed levels with at least 2 paths in mind with room for additional paths.
Post-Mortem
Excerpts from the document
“Thankfully, I’ve learned that the best way to prevent myself from getting stuck is to ask for help, which is exactly what I did.”
“In order to continue to build off of the naturally fun mechanic, it was imperative for the levels in the game to support the mechanic well.”
“I believe that the beginning and end of the game need definite work, and are honestly in the state they are because I chose to focus on the levels.”
“ The problem was, players were often more creative than I was skilled at designing for the mechanic. More than 35% of my players were able to skip at least some part of my game…”
Production Details
Project Duration: October 2018 - December 2018
Engine: Unity 2018
Platform: PC