Spring Adventure
Gameplay Trailer
Introduction
Overview
Spring Adventure is a 3D platformer with a strong focus on exploration, action, and friendship.
Goals
Details
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Create a comfy yet challenging platforming experience
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Tell a compelling story through NPC interactions
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Learn and apply fundamental level design techniques
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First game project
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Developed in three months using Unreal Engine 5
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Some assets created in Krita
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Additional assets provided by itch.io
Preproduction
The first step was learning Unreal Engine so I could better scope out my project.
The Experiment
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How do I make the player launch into the air when they jump on this platform?
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Is it possible to increase player speed on specific tiles?
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Can I make this platform move only after the player has landed on it?
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How do I make my 2D sprite face the camera at every angle?
Top downs and Design Sketches
A rough topdown of an area in game.
Initial designs for some of the obstacles and hazards in Spring Adventure. Some were beyond the scope of the project but were very exciting to nonetheless.
The initial design concept for a funnel before reveal in Crystal Cave.
More brainstorming and fleshing out of gameplay design.
Initial designs for some of the obstacles and hazards in Spring Adventure. Some were beyond the scope of the project but were very exciting to nonetheless.
Iterative Design
The end of Crystal Cave, in which the player jumps on a mushroom and gets launched into the next area, Sky High.
Final design.
The end of Crystal Cave, in which the player jumps on a mushroom and gets launched into the next area, Sky High.
Sometimes, I knew right away what I wanted and combined art assets with primitives to get a feel for the space before pushing ahead with the final design.
A segment of Crystal Cave you discover after a series of platforming challenges. It brings the player to the final stretch of the cave.
Final design.
A segment of Crystal Cave you discover after a series of platforming challenges. It brings the player to the final stretch of the cave.
Sky High
Initial topdown of Sky High
Initial, rough blockout
Final version
Initial topdown of Sky High
Other times, however, I was unsure how to design a space and would start with a topdown and a blockout.
Chickee's Den
Initially, this area was simply meant to bring the player to the right directly to Cliffy Peaks after the River Ride. However, the pacing felt off, since you just came of a non-interactive segment only to simply continue moving in this boring, linear fashion.
What began as an attempt to make the space more interesting from a traversal perspective, grew into a more extensive and critical gameplay segment.
Initially, this area was simply meant to bring the player to the right directly to Cliffy Peaks after the River Ride. However, the pacing felt off, since you just came of a non-interactive segment only to simply continue moving in this boring, linear fashion.
Playtesting served a critical role in development. I realized some areas were actually not fun to play even if they worked visually.
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This lead to approaching those spaces from a new angle with more specific design goals.
Cliffy Peaks
Crystal Cave
Initial design of Cliffy Peaks
Final version
Initial design of Cliffy Peaks
Since I was using free assets, redesigns were relatively cheap. In retrospect, I would have liked to have focused more on blockouts and less on including art.
Gradually lowering tension and difficulty through a segment involving vertical platforming.
Final version.
Gradually lowering tension and difficulty through a segment involving vertical platforming.
Visual Scripting
Highlights:
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Timelines
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Level Sequencer
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Macros
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Event Dispatchers
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Splines
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Interfaces
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Widgets
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15 blueprints available for viewing
Note: To view a blueprint, right-click the one you want to see to open it in a new window. Otherwise, you might have issues!
Early in development, I recognized that coding was my weak point. I had to make sure my design was reasonably scoped with this in mind.
I made sure to comment my code thoroughly in an effort to really drill the steps into my brain.
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In the end, I grew to really love scripting. It helped me better conceptualize design features which I believe will help me more intelligently scope future game projects.
The Level
For this work sample, I made one large, linear level.
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Each area builds off the last. Progression is experienced through gameplay and narrative in each location.
Click an area image or scroll down to to dive in!
Sandy Shores
Player starts here and meets the first NPC, Fox. This is also where they learn the interact mechanic.
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Fox gives the player their first quest and main objective: Find Ant.
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The scene foreshadows the end game picnic you and all the NPCs have together.
Jump Tutorial
Since there are only two player mechanics, and the jump is the most critical, I designed this area to quickly and efficiently teach it to the player.
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Therefore, the space is very small and focused.
The River Ride
A linear path out from the tutorial area funnels the player here. I wanted this space to feel open and inspire a sense of wonder.
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Platforming across the logs brings the player to a log that, when overlapped, starts floating down the river.
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I disabled movement controls to keep the player on the log during the transition. However, I kept look controls enabled so the player can examine the area.
Chickee's Den
This is a hard gated area dependent on the player retrieving an item for the NPC, Chickee, in order to open the gate to the next area.
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I designed this space such that objectives were clearly outlined through framing, breadcrumbs, and affordance. Also, I wanted an opportunity for the player to perform light platforming in antcipation for the next area, Cliffy Peaks.
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The verticality here offers a pleasant visual contrast and hints at the path ahead.
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Cliffy Peaks
This is where the challenge ramps up. The introduction of disappearing platforms force the player to maintain movement without taking much time to think.
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The disappearing platforms utilize strong audio and visual cues to indicate their impending disappearance.
Crystal Cave
This area marks the halfway point through the level. I wanted it to feel dark and dangerous. I placed a new hazard: The spike trap
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Combined with disappearing platforms, it's a fun challenge. However, I made sure to add safe platforms at certain points to gradually acclimate the player to this increased challenge.
Sky High
The final area of the game. The player meets Stuart, an NPC, as soon as they emerge from Crystal Cave. Stuart is friendly and welcoming, something that was important when designing them. Crystal Cave is the hardest part of the level and I wanted the player to feel welcomed back.
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Stuart knows where Ant is and urges you forward.
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There are basic floating platforms, bouncy mushrooms, balloons, as well as rotating log platforms present.
Reflections
The game needs more development, but I achieved my goal of learning how to use Unreal engine, apply fundamental level design techniques, and focus on creating a thoughtful gameplay experience.
There’s plenty I need to learn, but this is only the beginning.
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While the headaches and hair-pulling were frequent, the absolute joy of making it finally work more than made up for it.
Spring Adventure was a formidable design challenge. I was discovering something new every single day of development. I feel like I could talk about it endlessly, as it fundamentally changed the way I think about game design forever.
I cannot wait to further develop my skills and experience on future projects.
Music is from the Fish World OST by Emerald Jack license CC BY-NC
Assets using CC license:
Retro Sounds by dagurasusketch https://dagurasusketch.itch.io/retrosounds
3D Leap Land by Essssam https://essssam.itch.io/3d-leap-land
Stylized Nature pack by Tiny Talisman Games https://www.unrealengine.com/marketplace/en-US/product/stylized-pbr-nature-pack
Ultimate Asset Pack by CoMiGo https://comigo.itch.io/farm-puzzle-animals
Props using CC license from Sketchfab:
Low Poly Cup with Lemon Tea by Anna Obradow https://sketchfab.com/3d-models/low-poly-cup-with-lemon-tea-06e0fd63f25d41c2967aba9a09cfe1fb
Plate by OmegaDeca https://sketchfab.com/3d-models/plate-58a113e57fae48c78562ae9c90be0d7c
Low poly picnic table by mankindforward https://sketchfab.com/3d-models/low-poly-picnic-table-02e3f81d79494bdcb0cc2edffd6dd1b9
Low poly cartoon orange by chroma3d https://sketchfab.com/3d-models/low-poly-cartoon-orange-free-3d-model-d6716bbe4ece429f992ce49173afbfc1
Low poly beach by Helyx Silveira https://sketchfab.com/3d-models/low-poly-beach-bcf6ba0ecb23410f9aa02f897a77e2df
Volleyball net by damien59492 https://sketchfab.com/3d-models/volleyball-net-no-texture-8e091ebdaa074c8c878bed3e074e8250