Feedback Level Puzzle Game

[Frimozz]

Hello !

(I don't see a topic presentation if you have one, I'm sorry in advance)

It's my first post here. It's been 1 year and a half I study Level Design in a school in France (Objectif 3D Montpellier). What I really like it's the environmental storytelling.

This video is a showcase for an exercise in school.

Goal for School : make a level Puzzle Game

Personal Goal : Make a Wow moment and try to work with the Scripting

Game Goal : Solve the abbey and take the relic

I really want to have feedback for my future projects (what can I improve etc…).

For the translation :

First panel: There are two of them. Ready at the right time, gilded by the lights to awaken the sacred relic.

Second panel: Put a part of yourself in the gargoyle to send it to the sky.

 

Edited January 6 by Frimozz

[Human Doctor]

I think it would be good, when you are presenting a gameplay video, to also explain with words what the elements are and what you personally are most excited about. This is to help introduce people to the way you think about your designs (which will help them give you better feedback) and also to help you practice talking about your work.

•  What kind of game is this? What is the purpose of the puzzles? Are they meant to be challenging in the way a math problem is challenging? Or are they meant to draw the player's attention to certain narrative elements (eg, the sacrifice)?
• Why is the lever next to the statue turned to the other side, instead of facing forward? Is it supposed to be hidden? Is finding this lever an interesting challenge or related to the narrative in some way?
• You can maybe strengthen the effect of the sacrifice element by allowing the player to drop their limbs anywhere they like, instead of only at the pre-determined spot. This would require them to focus more of their attention towards reading the environment and figuring out the exact place to do it, and then you can apply your environmental storytelling skills to guide them however you choose.
• To what degree can the level be solved by the strategy "walk around the level, look for things to click on that you haven't clicked on"? How much of this kind of thing do you want in your level?
• Is the text on the panels meant to be literal instructions on what to do, or is it meant to be like a riddle? For example, what if you wrote "gargoyles feed on human flesh" instead of "put a part of yourself in the gargoyle"? The less literal they are, the more opportunities open up for you to do environmental storytelling, and the more attention is required from the player.
• I like how you've rotated the last lever so that the player is facing the statue when the cool opening moment happens. Maybe experiment doing more of that, see what interesting things you can show the player when they're standing somewhere and doing something.
• Can the player die in this game? What if the invisible door killed you instead of just blocking you? Would that give more weight to the player's decisions?

[Frimozz]

I'm sorry you're right,I didn't give any information, I'm sorry about that. Thanks a lot for your feedbacks.

• The purpose of the puzzle, is you lost a member each time you interact with something (The legs and/or the arms) and you need to have at least one member to move. But you can recover your members on the lever.
• The first time the lever was forward like you said, but with the playtests, my player doesn't know what is does. So I change it to face the door that open.
• You can do that, it's just in the video it's me who played, and I know how to solve the puzzle, so I don't show it, it's my mistake.
• The playtest gives on average 10 to 15 minutes with the “walk around the level, look for things to click on that you haven't clicked on” strategy. It was in my personal goals to have this time for the player.
• It supposed to be a riddle, because we are in a mysterious abbey with an unresolved enigma. But I like your idea of human flesh.
• No, the player can't die. It's game over when the player don't have any legs or arms on his body. The invisible door is used to automatically lose a leg to the ground. Each time he crosses it in the forward direction but not in the return direction.

Here is the speech for the level : You are sent by the celestial king to solve the enigma of the Abbey of Notre Dame Du Lys. Hidden deep within the Peak of Hope. What does this ancient monastery contain?

Edited January 7 by Frimozz