“A first-person puzzler where shadows kill you. Watch your step or be swallowed by the darkness“
Engine: Unity
Platform: PC
Team size: 6 full time + 2-4 consulting
Release date: 15th Jan., 2020
Lightmatter on Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/994140/Lightmatter/
Tunnel Vision Games: http://tunnelvisiongames.com/
Lightmatter is a 3D first person puzzle game where shadows kill you! So stay in the light and you’ll be just fine. It was my debut in the role of Level Designer and I’m very satisfied with how it turned out!
The Level Design of Lightmatter was in large part dictated by the layout and functionality requirements of the puzzles. As such, the design process often revolved around finding the balance between keeping the integrity of the puzzles intact, while making sure that the levels were interesting, readable and fitting of the world setting.
Most levels were done with a modular approach as it helped us stick to our design conventions and also increased the speed at which I could block them out and test them. Some levels where more free form and combined the modular elements with more organic shapes – these were especially helpful for the levels delivering narrative exposition. Switching between the two provided a nice contrast to the feel and look of the game.
Tunnel Vision Games was a small company with a flat hierarchical structure, which allowed me to get my hands on many different disciplines in the development. My main focus and responsibility from the beginning was on designing and implementing the levels. My main responsibilities included:
- Proposing ideas for mechanics and exploring their possibility space within the limits of the game universe
- Sketching ideas on paper and/or using LEGO to build out the layouts to get a better understanding of the space in 3D
- Blocking out the levels in engine with a focus on making sure the puzzles were solvable and not breakable
- Extensive testing of levels to ensure the integrity of the puzzles remained as iteration passes happened
- Close cross-discipline collaboration making sure the levels met the requirements and expectations of other stake holders and the game vision
- Fully implementing level functionality with an inhouse scripting tool
- Sequencing levels to control learning curve, flow and pacing
- Framing and cleaning up levels for increased clarity and overview
HISTORY OF LIGHTMATTER
Lightmatter started out as a university project back in 2013, where myself and four fellow students made a game prototype to investigate the phenomenon of ‘hand holding’ in games. Investigating hand holding was our academic angle to the project, but in reality we just wanted to develop a game. The prototype, which is called “See You On The Other Side”, got some traction when we uploaded it to Reddit and this was the first indication that we might have stumbled upon something interesting.
Fast forward a couple of years when we had finished our education. We questioned ourselves if we dared start our own company and develop the game prototype into a full commercial game… luckily we did. In September of 2016 we created Tunnel Vision Games and 3.5 years later in January of 2020 we launched Lightmatter.