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Game Designer
Familiar Bones Level Design
Puzzle Design | World Building | October 2024
The level in Familiar Bones was created in in 72 hours for Ludum Dare 56. The goal of the level was to:​​​
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Focus on visual storytelling to encourage exploration and deliver emotional impact
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Create a moody yet whimsical atmosphere with an autumnal theme
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Incorporate the game’s narrative, puzzles, and character-environment interactions into the level
Initial Sketch
The initial sketch was made to visualize the rooms of the level and how they connected to each other. As the flow of the level was designed, each room's puzzles and rewards were designed in tandem.
Level In-Engine
The final level design in Unity. The player begins in the house and will move between the sides of the map, unlocking characters and items, before unlocking the cave door and heading back to the house.
This image shows the puzzle elements of the level. Red circles are unlocks (item or character) and triangles are puzzles where an unlock is needed to pass. The green lines are how each unlock connects to a puzzle.
The level is designed such that the player explores nearby areas first and later branches out, moving between the further areas. This was intended to create a sense of exploration despite the level being pretty linear.
Iterative Design
I used tile maps to allow myself to easily alter parts of the map's design. The "helper paths" could be adapted based on playtest feedback. Sparkle animations, the maze, and interactable items could also be easily changed.
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