Maze Game

Controls:

Move - arrows keys

View inventory - Space

Cheats:

P: Get all keys

This project was developed in two weeks for a college assignment in august 2021. It was our first project of the course and we had to follow a set of limitations, such as grid-based movement.

The initial concept was conceived by Bernardo and Murilo. The assignment proposed that the levels in the game should have a locked door that would be opened upon collecting a key. From the start we wanted to use this mechanic to make a non-linear game, were you would walk go back and forth between levels, collecting keys and opening. However, due to our limited experience with the engine we settled for a more traditional approach with three levels in a hub area, each locked by a gate that could be opened with a main key. Still, we tried to keep some sort of side path in the game and we did so by adding generic keys which could open any door within a level. Some of these doors lead to harder paths with rewards, such as extra lives, power-ups and more keys, while others lead to collectible items that tied into the story of the game. 

We wanted to bring as much variety as possible into the game, so we decided to make every level have a different mechanic and each member of the group would be in charge of a level.

The first level was made by Geovani Scafin and Beatriz Amaral and t's pretty straightforward, having the player dodge a couple of enemies.

The second level was made by Murilo Bezerra and it covers most of the screen in darkness, making the player navigate through a dark maze while he is chased by ghosts.

The third level was made by Bernardo Beier and in it the tiles of the ground fall as you walk over them, demanding precise timing and quick thinking from the player as he navigates this puzzle-like maze. This level's layout was first planned on paper and I went through two drafts before I figured out the final design.

In these drafts I was trying to make it so the whole level would work as a single puzzle and the falling tiles were only used as bridges. To complete the level the player had to collect a certain amount of keys to open all doors that lead to the exit. This required them to figure out a specific path that would allow him to reach the keys using some bridges while still being able to trace his path back to the doors through the bridges that he had left intact. The problem with this design is that it was too simple and single-minded, not using the falling tiles to their full potential. This also made designing the level a very complex task, as there was basically a single tool (bridges) avaliable to create challenges.

In the final design of the level I prioritized having the puzzles be centered in rooms or segments, instead of the whole level being a single puzzle. However I still kept the idea of having the player figure out a path through the level, but in a more straightforward manner by taking an alternative, and much harder path, were they are able to collect extra keys allowing them to, later on, open a door that leads to a collectible. This essence is also still present in the puzzles themselves, were the player must figure out a way through the falling tiles to the key while still having an intact way to get back to the level's main path.

We wanted to make a fourth level that would mix all mechanics from the previous ones, but due to our dead line we didn't manage to do so.

Thank you for playing,

- Bernardo

Credits:

Beatriz G. Lagranha do Amaral- sound effects, level design (LVL 1)

Bernardo Beier B. Martins - Art, additional programming, writing, level design (LVL 3)

Geovani Carvalho Scafin  - Writing, sound effects, level design (LVL 1)

Murilo da Rosa Bezerra - Programming, level design (LVL 2)