When looking for a core pillar both prevalent in recent gaming trends, and simply appealing to me, I identified the ‘preservation of speed’ as something unifying players from Mario Odyssey to Valve's Deadlock. In Valve’s upcoming shooter Deadlock for instance, some of the most fun reported by players lies in the base movement system, managing stamina pips as one slides and dashes through the map to rotate and farm efficiently. Give players some nice movement and a reason to learn it, and even casual audiences will practice to a fever pitch as seen with Super Mario Odyssey. The high quantity of natural and unintended skips/tricks in that game with Cappy directly rewards mastery of movement.

In aiming to capture this feeling within this project, the problem I need to solve is the ‘purpose’ to refining movement for the player, which I've chosen to answer through “escalating ruins”. By tying the hazard difficulty directly to the amount keys collected, in a space players explore heavily to derive their locations initially, we cause players to reevaluate familiar spaces and create new plans to finish out the level. Facing new players familiar but dynamic movement obstacles; the player is incentivized directly towards a broad, useful understanding of the movement available as they understand the level. The intended flow of any level, is to see a player go from an awkward explorer to skilled athelte within the space.

- The Process (Is Ongoing) -

With most developments coming off notepad ideas, the current scope is to create a vertical slice of the first level, with associated mission variants and a push for 'visual polish' relative to my previous work. Reflecting on Primal Edge, it shows off much of its roughness, the visual identity having taken a backfoot due to immense mechanical demands. Part of my desire to draft a game concept where combat is not a big feature, was to push myself into this artistic end. As mechanics become more finalized, extra work will be given to developing the visual identity of the game. Currently, prototyping of main mechanics and an initial level greybox is underway in Unreal Engine 5. At this early stage, much of the potential identity is still being shaped, though the central pillar will lie onto the preservation of momentum.

One can immediately tell the difference between the experienced and new players in Deadlock by simple movement, the tell tale signs of their comfort with the map and preserving speed. People often view Mario Odyssey as a purely casual experience, and yet they will meticulously perfect their movement much like a Smash Bros Melee enthusiast practices a wavedash! In defining the core appeal I wish to impart, this project aims to capture the experience of perfecting movement. By allowing players to navigate freely, and tackle keys in a level in their own order, I aim to impart comfort with the space. The aesthetic of a ruin, a dungeon, a space to be explored and discovered drew to me for expressing that ideal. In a further refined sense, discovery is the root of this experience. By allowing the playspace to dynamically 'evolve' adding complications to the player navigation, we can both reinforce that theme with anticipation of what is to come. The space is at its most dangerous, aesthetically active, and demanding when the final key remains to collect pushing a high note to end on in a scene.

A typical level would see the player navigating various floors of the ruin, with this first level in particular forcing an immediate use of either swimming or climbing/tethering to reach a different room. Initially I had the idea to randomize key placement, but instead by deliberating placing them we can have the most fine control over the immediate puzzles a player will navigate. Instead, each level will be divided further into missions, allowing players to further their mastery of a particular space.

Players will have a UI element alerting them when near a Key location, as the experience is not about trying to find a hidden collectible, but instead how to reach it with the tools they have. Much like Indiana Jones, the treasure and peril lies before a player to navigate through for their reward. When a player collects a Key, they will need to return it to the gate to secure it, and save their progress in a checkpoint. They are not prevented from collecting more Keys before returning, though dying will cause all that to be lost adding degrees of risk and reward to the process by player preference. On that collection, the level will 'respond' by activating additional hazards and shifting the layout slightly, presented as the ruins activating ancient technlogy. Collecting the final Key, and thus only needing to reach the gate will further add a enemy tailored to the level that will chase down the player, with hazards at their peak. In sharp contrast to the initial calm of loading into the level, this is a final test and chase to remember the experience by.

Progress will be continous throughout the coming months, and this page updated accordingly. Currently, the author is also undertaking Blender courses to better realize the visual identity of this project.