I worked primarily on level and UI design for BoomerBlade, as well as putting together this website and the trailer on the homepage.
-- UI Design --
The UI design for BoomerBlade was tricky. Because of how wide a view the camera has, there is a lot to keep track of onscreen and the player character appears very small. Initially I put the HP and Momentum gauges in the top-left corner, but that positioning required the player to shift their attention away from Arty. We eventually settled on moving the HP meter to always stay just above Arty's head, and we represented Momentum with a glowing blue aura at his feet. This way, we could make sure the necessary information was being conveyed without forcing the player to look away from the action onscreen.
-- Level Design --
With regards to level design, my biggest challenge was to create a wide variety of levels all based around the core boomerang gameplay. A lot of concepts ended up getting cut, such as puzzle-solving elements and a much more difficult level centered around the teleportation mechanic. In each level, I tried to introduce at least one new mechanic or twist on an old mechanic, as I've found that to be a successful level design philosophy.
I also gave the game a loose structure of 2-3 linear 'reach the end' style levels followed by a large arena level where the goal is to defeat a certain number of enemies. The idea was to introduce new enemies on their own in the linear levels, and then test the player's skills in the arena levels. Finally, of course, the large Forest Guardian boss capped off the player's adventure.
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