A Not So
Silent Night
Join St. Nick in this 2D Platformer as he defends the North Pole from demonic Invaders. Manage magical abilities, execute stargtegic manuevers and defeat enemies in this fast paced adveture to save Christmas!
Engine: Godot
Studio: Solo Project
Team: 1
Role: Game Designer
Duration: 2 months
Release: Website
Responsibilities
GAMEPLAY AND LEVEL DESIGN
Designing, implementing, prototyping, and balancing critical gameplay features icluding level design, combat, puzzle design, and enemies.
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Level Design
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Combat Mechanics
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Enemy Design
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Player Abilities
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Environmental Storytelling
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Puzzle & Challenge Design
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Game Design Documentation
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Prototyping and Iteration
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Quality Assurance and Playtesting
PROGRAMMING
Used the Godot Engine GDScript programming languange to code all features of the game.
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GDScript
ART
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UI/UX Design
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Pixel Art Assets
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Animation Sprite Sheets
Level Design
OBJECTIVE
Focus on creating an engaging, fast-paced, and satisfying experience that combines the speed, abilities and combat of a platformer with the stylistic elements of themed pixel art and music. These objectives are key to building an platformer that feels balanced, addictive, fun and challenging to play.
CHALLENGE 1
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The 2D plane restricts how much you can fit on-screen, making it tricky to create variety without the level feeling cramped or repetitive. Additionally, it limits the amount of the level the player can see on screen forcing limitations upon the level design and players can miss the intended path.
SOLUTION
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Leverage verticality—design multi-tiered levels with platforms at different heights to expand the playable space. Use scrolling (horizontal or vertical) to reveal new areas gradually, creating a sense of progression without overwhelming the player. Vary platform sizes and spacing (e.g., tight clusters vs. long gaps) to mix up movement patterns and keep navigation fresh. Use environmental cues—place coins, arrows, or contrasting colors to subtly direct players toward the main path. Design with “visual magnets”—eye-catching elements like a glowing exit or a dangling rope—to draw attention to key areas. Test levels to ensure dead ends are intentional (e.g., for secrets) and the critical path feels intuitive.
Level Design Iteration
CHALLENGE 2
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Balancing Player abilities is a key feature of platformers, this is even more important when some of the abilities are piviotal to player movement. Making a level design that takes into account cooldowns for abilities necessary for efficient traversal can be difficult. Enocuraging players to learn when and when not to use their abilities while not leavinmg them stuck or slowing down the pace of the game was challenging.
SOLUTION
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Implement branching paths that offer pros and cons for the player. Players can use their abilites ot find faster paths to travel or pickups to improve their run but are not stuck if their abilites are on cooldown. This allows players to have more freedom, increases the skill cap, and provides replayability.
DEVELOPMENT PROCESS
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Sketch: Created concise level outline and layout, visualing placement of enemies, abilities, paths, and obstacles. This step helped establish a visual blueprint that could be translated to Godot and built using a Tilemap system.
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Initial Design: Created a rough level outline in Godot using a Tilemap system. Established the basic structure and layout of the level, providing a solid foundation for further development.
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First Pass: Added enemies, obstacles, and pickups to the rough level. Began playtesting and made necessary adjustments to the levels in real-time. Began adding textures and art to develop design and gameplay.
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Iteration Pass: Continued extensive playtesting and making changes to create a smoother gameplay experience.
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Final Pass: Added final visual elements and polish to the level. This step involved incorporating art and effects to enhance aesthetics and immersion. Additionally, final tweaks to gameplay and design were added if needed.