Level Design Case Study - Eggsile

Overview

This project was developed as a group project at Futuregames, with the goal of creating a game that explores the themes of growth and fragility through mechanics-driven gameplay. And along the way, it became a practical exercise in killing our darlings for the sake of playability.

Within the scope of a student project, we anticipated limitations in animation polish and movement fidelity. To work with these constraints rather than against them, we chose penguins as the main characters. Their unstable and awkward movement on land naturally communicated vulnerability, while their nesting behavior and care for chicks reinforced the theme of growth. The player’s goal is to carry the egg to the nest without breaking or freezing it, solving spatial puzzles that are directly integrated into the hostile winter pole environment. This allowed us to align narrative meaning with mechanical expression

As the Level Designer, I was responsible for puzzle design, difficulty progression, and iteration based on playtesting.

Key Contributions

• Puzzle scaffolding and difficulty progression
• Paper, physical (LEGO), and in-Unity prototyping
• Playtesting, iteration, and removal of underperforming puzzles
• Supporting narrative alignment between mechanics and theme

Since the core mechanics hadn't been developed yet, I worked first with paper and lego prototypes.

Puzzle design example

The first puzzle introduces the weight-based pillar mechanic, where pillars lower and nest into each other depending on the applied weight, encouraging deliberate path planning.

Puzzle objective: Introduce the platform weighing mechanic with all four heights of platform. By using the scaffolding technique—starting with the simplest puzzle when the mechanic is first introduced, plus providing some assistance to the player in puzzle solving.

Iteration 1

Iteration 2

Iteration 3

Iteration 4

The final result was completely reworked after playtesting revealed that players were guessing solutions instead of engaging with the mechanic.

Kill the darlings - save penguins

The biggest challenge from this project was the isometric camera, which is great for puzzles, but terrible for platforming. The perspective issue really affected the players' experience.

Iteration 1

Iteration 2

To resolve this issue, I iterated on puzzle orientation and camera-facing angles to improve readability of both the puzzle structure and platform height differences.

Design desisions: puzzle removed

The next puzzle was designed to challenge the player while also providing a narrative moment. From the highest point, the player was meant to gain an overview of the path already traveled and preview upcoming points of interest, reinforcing a sense of progression and achievement.

But the final version of this puzzle (below) was totally removed because the camera had to be positioned too far from the player, which negatively affected control precision, especially when carrying the egg.

My takeaways

• Prototype in the engine as early as possible. Paper prototypes are valuable for ideation, but critical spatial, camera, and readability issues only emerge during in-engine testing.
• Isometric gameplay requires early and deliberate camera validation. Without sufficient time for camera iteration, player movement and platforming readability suffer.
• Co-op level design demands constant engagement from all players. Puzzles should be structured so that both players are actively involved, rather than waiting or observing.

Tools Used