Power of Two

Power of Two is a single player puzzle game where there player will control two characters in order to explore and revive the power to their abandoned research station. I wont lie, I kind of cooked with this one… It’s one of the projects I think about quite often. Hopefully I can finish it someday.

Puzzle Game GDD

Power of 2 ended up being a Portals inspired single player puzzle game. We pitched using a powerpoint designed to present information in a readable and informative way. Presentation breakdown can be found below!

This project was for the level design course at SCAD. Professor Cookson wanted us to create a pitchdeck to give to potential game developer publishers. The game could be any design and the assignment was more focused on covering all the bases rather

This project was for the level design course at SCAD. Professor Cookson wanted us to create a pitchdeck to give to potential game developer publishers. The game could be any design and the assignment was more focused on covering all the bases rather than pitching an original game. For mine I chose a comfy single player puzzle game. I had been working on a solar-punk project with another group and wanted to keep up the peaceful scifi setting. In this world humanity is long gone and the research facility created to design weapons for killing has faded into an overgrown relic of the past. After all this time the slumbering AI has awoken to find that its self sufficient power supply has been compromised, and that in order to stay operational it needs to repair it. In order to do so it awakens two maintenance bots to help.

For my three Cs I thought of a game I had played when I was younger called Fire Boy and Water Girl. In it, the players collaborated to solve puzzles which blocked each others paths. Each character could solve unique problems and I wanted to recreate

For my three Cs I thought of a game I had played when I was younger called Fire Boy and Water Girl. In it, the players collaborated to solve puzzles which blocked each others paths. Each character could solve unique problems and I wanted to recreate this type of gameplay in a single-player setting. The player would control two robots in the same level which could be swapped to seamlessly. Each robot could interact with objects in a unique way and this is how you would progress the level.

When designing the camera system I wanted to make it more than just a visual aspect of the game. It is included in the puzzle solving for the game. The player will only be able to see the environment from the static top-down angle, so they will need

When designing the camera system I wanted to make it more than just a visual aspect of the game. It is included in the puzzle solving for the game. The player will only be able to see the environment from the static top-down angle, so they will need to utilize their ability to switch to first-person to view their locations better. While in first-person mode the player is unable to move and can only look in an omnidirectional way. This first tutorial chamber forces the player to use the first person camera in order to locate the doors power switch which is hidden under a ceiling.

When designing the level tutorial I wanted to create a simple chamber where the player would be introduced to their 3 Cs. At first the player takes control of their walking robot "Fisheye." You can travel around by foot and use your strength to smash

When designing the level tutorial I wanted to create a simple chamber where the player would be introduced to their 3 Cs. At first the player takes control of their walking robot "Fisheye." You can travel around by foot and use your strength to smash the logs blocking the front door. In order to activate the door however, you have to switch characters to the flying bot, "Bojack." Bojack can plug itself into switches to turn on/off another object in the room. In this case, the door opens after connecting. In this slide you can see the Integration, Interaction, Puzzles, and Feedback breakdowns.

The second intro level slide shows a visual representation of our players start, objective, and roadblocks. The small input breakdown on the side is a reminder for the presentation viewer that each bot has a different input system and must be used in

The second intro level slide shows a visual representation of our players start, objective, and roadblocks. The small input breakdown on the side is a reminder for the presentation viewer that each bot has a different input system and must be used in collaboration to escape.

I then breakdown the games other interactables with a separate slide. The narrative connections are written on the side. I find it extremely important to tie the aesthetics to the gameplay so that players can make better sense of their actions and fe

I then breakdown the games other interactables with a separate slide. The narrative connections are written on the side. I find it extremely important to tie the aesthetics to the gameplay so that players can make better sense of their actions and feel more attached to the world. The interactables include a few general categories. Power Switches, Heavy Switches, and Debris. What I neglected to include in the breakdowns was other dangers such as gun turrets or wire-based plugs.

From there my vertical slice ends! There is a short hallway leading up to the central hub area but that is how the game begins! In the central hub area we are introduced to GLADIS our friendly and loving and motherly AI program which runs the facilit

From there my vertical slice ends! There is a short hallway leading up to the central hub area but that is how the game begins! In the central hub area we are introduced to GLADIS our friendly and loving and motherly AI program which runs the facility. She is a very reassuring and caring AI who beckons us to aid her in keeping our facility alive and at peace. That may sound sarcastic but I did want the narrative to be wholesome and peaceful, and how better to do that than by introducing GLAD0S if she wasn't a psycho- kind of subverting expectations in a silly reference to Portals (which obviously I am borrowing a lot from here).

After I was done making the first path I did some lighting tests to get the interiors to feel more cozy and abandoned. I was going for, "Office building at 3AM" vibes. The entire game is quite dark and you don't really get rewarded with the natural l

After I was done making the first path I did some lighting tests to get the interiors to feel more cozy and abandoned. I was going for, "Office building at 3AM" vibes. The entire game is quite dark and you don't really get rewarded with the natural light and beautiful greenery until the end of the game where GLADIS is able to power up the windows and let the light in.

I had so much fun working on Power of Two that I kept going! I added new puzzles, interactables, chambers, and hazards. You can see the full gameplay in the youtube video posted above.

I had so much fun working on Power of Two that I kept going! I added new puzzles, interactables, chambers, and hazards. You can see the full gameplay in the youtube video posted above.