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Design Breakdown: Level 1
When designing puzzles for the game Divyde I needed to create some interesting ways that the player could both experiment with and feel clever for controlling four separate entities. However, the first level of the game is not meant to be overly complex as the player is still learning how to handle the game and get a feel for the controls and movement. Because of this, I felt it important to give them a decent amount of space for experimentation before they began to figure out the actual puzzle itself.
Within the first few seconds of play the player can learn two things by simply fooling around in the area provided. The first is that their blobs can climb over one another, and the other is that each can be controlled by pressing a different button according to the UI at the top of the screen. These are important mechanics for traversal and puzzle solving.
When designing puzzles, it was important to keep in mind two elements, being the player’s initial answer, as well as the catch. The catch is the element of the puzzle that stumps the player and forces them to take a different approach then the obvious.
This is where the first level begins. Once the player loads in, their eye should be drawn to three specific elements of the level. The first is the poster hanging in the background to add a bit of flavor to the story and world. The second and third things are the set of buttons on the left wall and doors on the right side. There were intentionally colored to be noticed immediately so that they could stick out as the primary objective for level.
Upon closer inspection, the player should notice that aside from sticking out from the rest of the level, the buttons and doors match in their color schemes as well. Using the common assumption the player can assume that each button is tied to each door, and that pressing all of them will allow the player to exit through the bright green door at the end of the hallway.
This is where the first catch arises. After fooling around for a bit in the open area the player will realize that they are unable to jump. However, two of the three buttons are raised into the air and currently unreachable, the two which just so happen to be attached to the closest two doors.
However, if the player has not already, they should notice that the center of the level is slightly raised up and forms what looks like the top of a large box. They can make that assumption from the other smaller boxes littered in the background of the level, but the fact that it is slightly raised brings attention to it, which is all that is required.
With no other options, the player is lead to approach the fist button and hit it, as the corresponding door is closed and there is nowhere else to explore.
Upon pressing the button two things happen and the second element of the puzzle is revealed. The corresponding door opens to confirm any suspicions the player may have had about the button’s functionality, but the raised platform also rises up from the ground to form a large box, halting at the second platform. All the player’s characters that were untouched will be lifted into the air on top of it, and any that were alongside the first blue button will be trapped in the hallway. Should the player release the button, they will figure out the the door returns to a closed position and the box lowers itself back underground.
This is the main catch of the puzzle and introduces the lateral thinking element to the player.
Immediately the player’s thoughts are to hit each button to escape the room, which is what the player tries to do next. By lifting up the other player characters they can reach the second button and confirm that it functions the same way as the first, both opening the corresponding door and lifting the box to the final platform.
Now that they player has reached the third level, they can hit every button and open the pathway to the exit door. But the catch is preventing one of those actions from taking place. The buttons being tied to lifting the boxes mean that opening the doors open require the boxes to block the only exit.
Because this is the first level, the answer is fairly straightforward, but requires some backtracking. The player needs to realize that there is a small cubby hole in between the boxes and first door, made much more noticeable once the boxes are raised. Using that information, the player should be able to glean that placing their fourth player character in that cubby hole before opening any of the doors will allow it to not be trapped inside by the rising boxes and walk out the door to freedom.
This level also teaches the player that only one piece leaving the room is enough for the level to be cleared.
