From Sketch to Puzzle: Crafting Planet of Lana II’s Clever Challenges

Warning: This text comprises spoilers for one puzzle from the sport!

After we started the sport design course of for this sequel, we had a transparent objective in thoughts: Create deeper and extra elaborate mechanics and puzzles, whereas on the similar time sustaining the movement and accessibility of the primary sport.

To attain this objective, we knew we wished to give the participant extra management, and increase on Mui’s particular hypnotize capacity from the primary sport.

Utilizing the setting as half of the problem

Within the first sport, animals had been managed not directly, by primarily constraining their place to Mui’s. On this sequel, we wished the participant to as a substitute change into the animal, controlling it freely on this planet impartial of Mui, and let the participant experiment with its totally different actions and talents.

This unleashed a complete new stage of creativity and variation within the gameplay, the place we may construct puzzles round these new and enjoyable animals that had been lurking round on this planet of Novo. One instance is the tiny ink fish. Its quick and snappy motion lets it rapidly navigate by means of the water, undergo slim tunnels, and it might probably even leap out of the water to attain new areas! Its particular capacity is that it might probably create an ink cloud, during which each the ink fish itself in addition to Lana can cover from lurking risks underwater.

Talking of being underneath water, that is one other facet that we’re introducing on this sequel. Lana can now dive down underneath the floor, which unlocks a complete new dimension of verticality to the puzzle design, in addition to stress, as a result of of the necessity to breathe.

Mui nonetheless has her worry of water, as within the first sport, however now there’s a particular variety of bubble plant that grows underwater in some locations on Novo that Lana can fetch and tie to herself. Mui can then get inside of the bubble and collectively they will dive down and resolve underwater puzzles!

When making a puzzle, we all the time begin with a number of overview sketches that we current to the remaining of the workforce. We stroll by means of it in levels, imagining how it might be to play and asking questions. Is the objective for the participant clear sufficient? If failing, will the participant get the suggestions they want so as to not get caught? Can we current the weather of the puzzle in the proper order?

Balancing between problem and movement

Right here you’ll be able to see a sketch of a puzzle the place Lana has discovered one of the bubble crops talked about earlier, and wishes to discover a method to open the underwater hypno door with Mui, with out being seen by the shark monsters. 

At this stage, we acquire precious suggestions based mostly on the sketches, make changes and current it once more. We repeat this course of till we’re sure that we’re heading in the right direction.

Then the Stage Designers make a primary go constructing it within the engine, ensuring every thing may be constructed with the artwork property now we have accessible. Additionally, changes are made right here to be certain that distances and scale really feel good whereas transferring by means of it in-engine.

As quickly as doable, we then strive to playtest it on gamers who haven’t seen the puzzle sketches. It’s vital that this occurs in context with the remaining of the sport, since generally a puzzle builds on parts launched earlier, so testing it in isolation could lead on to it being rather more troublesome than supposed if too many completely new puzzle parts are launched on the similar time.

When analyzing the playtests, we glance further fastidiously for participant confusion and frustration, to ensure that we don’t break the movement of the sport. Having the participant not instantly progressing will not be all the time an issue, so long as the participant is having enjoyable and is developing with new concepts of how to resolve a puzzle. It may generally be a wonderful line between a enjoyable problem and a irritating expertise!

As may be seen from this overview from the ultimate sport, this explicit puzzle primarily stored its form from the sketch, other than some tweaks in proportions and distances.

One other small distinction is the additional tunnels added across the second shark monster, which had been added as a result of it made it really feel extra pure for gamers the place they had been supposed to place an ink cloud (on the tunnel intersection).

As soon as we see {that a} puzzle assessments properly, the Stage Artists proceed filling out the world with extra visible particulars and lighting, making it increasingly lovely with every go of polish, as may be seen on this screenshot from the identical space of the sport.

Thanks for the chance to provide you with a glimpse of what goes into making a puzzle. We actually look ahead to seeing gamers discover these new and thrilling components of Novo!

Planet of Lana II: Children of the Leaf shall be launched on March 5 and shall be accessible with Xbox Recreation Go Final from day one! Wishlist now and go play Lana and Mui’s first journey within the wait up to their epic continued journey, and observe @PlanetOfLana on social media to keep up to date.