Development Info​

   Role: Game & Level Designer, Scripting, Art/UI Design
   Team Size: 4
   Time: 5 Weeks
   Tech: Construct 2
​   Platform: HTML5 - Android/iOS or Desktop
   Genre: Platformer

Responsibilities

  • Co-designed and developed game in Construct 2 utilizing visual event scripting system.
  • Implemented mechanics, player feedback, and level transitions.
  • Level design - created vertical oriented levels meant to be incredibly difficult. Eased player into game by introducing one type of obstacle after another.
  • Created game art assets and animations.
  • Manage team tasks in Trello.

Game Overview

ASCEND is a treacherous 2D platformer in which you move primarily in one direction: Up. This game was created during my internship at The Sheep's Meow.

The art in the game is intentionally made out of simple shapes and a limited color palette. Almost every object in the game is in grayscale. The only objects in the game that have color are the hazards, which are bright red and stand out from everything else. The game has a simplistic feel to it, which I think is less intimidating to new players and is fun to watch.

Design Process

Limited Controls
I wanted the controls to be much more limited than traditional platformers for two reasons:
  1. It would be easy for almost anyone to pick up and play with simple tapping and swiping gestures
  2. The player would have limited maneuverability around the hazards in the level.
The goal was for the game to be easy to pick up and play, but become increasingly difficult over time, so I felt that the controls and movement needed to reflect that. Additionally, the fact that you play as a square reinforces that idea as well. Squares have hard and rigid edges which make it feel like it is not able to move as freely as a circle, for example.

Players can only move up or down to avoid hazards. They must rely on moving platforms to carry them left or right.
Level Design - Variety
Before designing the swipe-down movement mechanic, creating levels with interesting variation was a challenge. How do you add variety to the levels when you can only move up? It wasn't easy, and I was running out of ideas to keep the levels new and fresh. This is what inspired the idea of a fall-through mechanic, which allowed players to drop under a platform by swiping down on the screen. This allowed me to design levels where the player was not only moving up, but now also moving back down and across the level to reach their destination.

The levels become much harder and you will die... a lot

A quick introduction to the platform fall-through ability