Astral Hues
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Astral Hues is a puzzle game where the player embodies a pilgrim named Svatii.
Svatii's pilgrimage takes tehm to a temple in the desert. To cross it, Svatii will have to solve several puzzles with cubes, lasers and wind. Their pilgrimage will end among the stars, where Svatii will become a god.
The game was created in a school setting, with a team of six students during a period of four months.
Maya Unreal 4 Photoshop Clip Studio Paint
My contribution
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Creation of several 3D plans
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Creation of blocking
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Communicate plans with other level designers and artists, to ensure progression between game levels remains natural.
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Creation of a questionnaire for playtesters and smonitor multiple sessions of playtests and communicate the results to the rest of the team.
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Agree with the level artists of the different assets necessary to ensure that they serve the needs of the gameplay and levels.
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Creation of 3D assets, UI, FX And textures
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Creation of the trailer using the sequencer to help the team have the best possible end result.
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Integration of character animation using a animated blueprints
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Creation and use of Blueprints for different game objects.
Trailer
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Information Gameplay
Astral Hues has a lot of mechanics, but the most important one is cubes. The colored cubes are able to create lasers of their respective color and tint the lasers of other cubes.
Challenges
Astral Hues had several challenges. It was a game with a lot of complex mechanics, but we were a small team and didn't have much time. It was therefore clear that the level design had to be taught quickly to the players and in a space that required a minimum of work for our artists.
After discussing it with the other designers we came up with the idea of doing the entire main tutorial in a minimalist space where objects appear and disappear as the puzzles are completed.
Another challenge was making sure the puzzles weren't frustrating, but rather satisfying. My goal to achieve this objective was to create as many moments of revelation for the player as possible. Players had to approach the puzzle, look for a solution for a while, and then figure out how to finish it all at once. I heard several times players exclaim ''Ah!'' before finishing a puzzle, so I can say that it was a success!
Levels
Here is a best off of the best levels I worked on during my session.
Level 1
Level 1 is the first level after the tutorial.
After several playtests, we quickly realized that the mechanic that was the most difficult for players to understand was the mechanic of mixing colors usings the cubes and the lasers.
So I opted for a puzzle that focuses on this mechanic.
Thus, players who are still having difficulty with this mechanic, even after the tutorial, have a second chance to learn it before arriving at more complex levels.
I also placed several subtle clues to help players find the solution. Marks on the ground indicate the direction of the lasers and the cubes have been placed in such a way that the player does not need to change their order.
Level 5 seems simple at first glance.
Most players have the reflex to try to switch the cubes before realizing that an anti-cube wall prevents them from doing so. Since this is only the second time that players have been confronted with the mirror and the anti-cube walls, some players remain blocked for a while before finding the solution.
It is a puzzle that required great precision in the blocking and in the level art because if the mirror or the walls are not well positioned the puzzle can be completed much more easily. Luckily our team had great communication and I had no problem explaining my level vision to the level artist in charge.
Level 5
Level 8
Level 8 was unfortunately never completed.
It was supposed to be the final level of the game, but due to lack of time, me and the rest of the team agreed to cut the last levels which included the wind mechanic.
It's a complex level that uses all the mechanics of the game and requires the player to complete a series of stages in the correct order, even if it means having to go back.
I'm particularly proud of this level because it proves that I'm able to make complex designs that are pleasant and fair for the players.
The Districts
Credits:
Game Designer:
Level designer:
Level Artist:
Designer character:
Musician:
Project director :
Level Design Mentor:
Character Mentor:
Level Art Mentor:
Arthur Gauthier
Marianne Ouellet
Timothy Rmasey
Natalya Fedorenko
Jade Cote
Nicolas Von Moreau
Maxime Vezina
Laurence Ouellette Plouffe
Leo Ferland Labbe
Laurie
Louis-Michel Lebeau