Alex Bräysy

Design Goals:

• Craft a game reminiscent of classic NES-style titles.

• Feature a core and unique gameplay mechanic

• Create a framework that allows for future expansion and iteration.

Personal Goal:

• Lead a diverse team, effectively communicating the concept and vision of "Shield" to inspire and align everyone towards a common goal.

GENERAL CONCEPT

Having A strong lead

Creating unique characters in games is a core aim of mine, guided by a philosophy to introduce unconventional elements within a genre. In exploring 2D sidescrollers, the noticeable absence of female protagonists inspired the foundational approach to our character design.

Our design journey included various concepts, but the breakthrough came with the decision to feature an amputee protagonist (refer to Image 1). To our knowledge, this was an unprecedented choice in gaming. Within our game's context, this attribute not only enhanced the character's appeal but also aligned perfectly with the core gameplay and narrative, wherein the protagonist relies solely on a shield for combat. After many iterations, we finalized the Shield Maiden's design, a character that won the hearts of our entire team and was prominently featured in the game, our own Shield Maiden (refer to Image 2).

Featuring a strong, female lead in a 2D action sidescroller, characterized by a significant yet surmountable challenge, distinguished our game. This design choice was instrumental in earning us a nomination for Best Diversity Effort at the Swedish Game Awards in 2016.

Development Process

The game was visioned to be a fun and fast-paced 2D-Sidescroller action game which harkens back to the classics of the same genre, such as Castlevania, Duck Tales, Mega Man, Contra and Shovel Knight. The core part and vision of our game however would be how the player would be able to utilize the Shield Maidens only titular tool to their disposal. As the Lead Game and Level Designer, together with the team, I wanted to make sure everyone was on the same page when developing the game. For me, my main responsibility was to oversee the design of the mechanics of the player character and then in return what enemies has to be developed and how to build the level to compliment that. Every part should have a meaning and reflect each other.

The game’s vision was to capture the essence of classic 2D sidescroller action games like Castlevania, Duck Tales, Mega Man, Contra, and Shovel Knight, with a unique twist on gameplay. At the heart of our vision was the innovative use of the Shield Maiden's titular tool, challenging players to master its versatile capabilities. As the Game and Level Designer, my role was to ensure cohesive development and design across all aspects of the game. This involved:

• Aligning the team with the game’s core vision and mechanics.

• Designing player character mechanics and corresponding enemy behaviors.

• Constructing levels that complement and enhance gameplay, ensuring every element has purpose and interconnects effectively.

Shield Throw

The Shield Throw allows the Shield Maiden to launch her shield in the direction she's facing, with the shield ricocheting back upon hitting an enemy or a destructible object. Successfully defeating an enemy or breaking an object this way resets the throw cooldown if caught mid-air. If the shield hits a wall, it lodges there, creating a temporary platform for strategic use.

This mechanic, reminiscent of a certain shield-wielding American hero, was initially designed more for its platform-creating ability than as a weapon. It significantly influences level design by encouraging exploration and creative problem-solving, as players discover shortcuts and new movement techniques. However, ensuring the levels accommodate this feature without being exploitable was a key design challenge.

A pivotal design decision was balancing the Shield Throw's offensive capabilities. Assigning damage to the throw could overcrowd the player's attack options, especially since standard enemies are defeated with one hit. A ranged attack risked simplifying combat unduly, prompting careful consideration of its role in the gameplay balance.

Dashing

The Dashing ability propels the Shield Maiden horizontally, providing a swift speed boost. Usable both on the ground and in mid-air (with a restriction to prevent continuous airborne use), it adds a dynamic layer to movement and evasion.

This ability sparked much debate within our team. The core contention was its deviation from our game's design principle: that all advanced maneuvers should involve the shield. Opponents argued it strayed from our vision, while proponents pointed out the Shield Maiden's need for enhanced horizontal movement and speed. Ultimately, we retained Dashing for its contribution to the game's pace and excitement, despite its departure from our initial design philosophy. It notably broadened the game's appeal to speedrunners, adding an extra layer of challenge and strategy.

LEvel Design

In preparation for level construction, comprehensive research into NES/SNES classics was conducted to ensure Shield authentically mirrored the feel, pace, and rhythm of those iconic games. This involved analyzing several key aspects—stage length, areas, enemy types, and encounter rates—of our inspirations. Below is a table summarizing the metrics from three analyzed games alongside the derived standards for Shield. This established framework guided our team throughout the development process, ensuring a cohesive and engaging level design that pays homage to the genre's roots.

In the Mechanics chapter, I explained how the levels were meticulously crafted to accommodate the Shield Maiden's abilities. This led to an intensive prototyping phase, where I visualized level segments on individual post-it notes (See Image 3 & 4). Each note represented a unique challenge, feature, or their combination, piecing together to construct the entire level. Any segment lacking a clear purpose was either discarded or reworked. This method of paper prototyping enabled a concentrated approach, allowing each part of the level to be critically assessed for its clarity and engagement. Furthermore, displaying the evolving map on our whiteboard kept the team informed and encouraged feedback. Estimating the time to a complete, playable prototype involved educated guesses, but it was a necessary step in our development process.

In parallel with paper prototyping, we began actual game construction. The initial step involved laying out the basic structure (floors and walls) in Unity for an early playable prototype. Collaborating closely with programmers, we fine-tuned character movement and jump mechanics to ensure they harmonized with the level's dimensions and challenges. Following successful playtests of each section, we added visual details and decorations, progressively building towards a comprehensive demo.

High-level design presentation

The game features a single level culminating in a boss fight. In this high-level overview, I'll break down the level's structure, detailing the underlying design philosophy and key decisions. Given the character's extensive abilities, we designed the level to introduce these skills in a controlled setting, allowing players to practice before facing more challenging applications.

From the start, my level design strategy is to gently introduce players to the game's mechanics through a structured tutorial. Here's how it unfolds in the Shield Maiden's journey:

Open Space Exploration and Jumping Tutorial (1-3):

• Players begin their adventure in an open area, familiarizing themselves with the controls in a non-restrictive setting, encouraging exploration. This seamless introduction to the game's environment sets the stage for learning through discovery.

• A small step introduces the basic jump mechanic as the first obstacle, offering a straightforward but effective lesson in overcoming physical challenges within the game world.

• Progression requires interaction with a destructible pillar, introducing the attack mechanic (2), followed by a challenge that combines jumping and attacking to reach and destroy another pillar (3), reinforcing the integration of learned skills.

Building on Fundamentals (4-6):

• The placement of the first enemy on lower ground allows players to strategize and apply their attack skills in a controlled environment (4), easing them into combat scenarios.

• A pit represents the first lethal hazard (5), emphasizing the importance of precise jumping. Failure resets the player to the start of the challenge, reinforcing the jump mechanic in a forgiving manner.

• An encounter with a taller, unbreakable pillar (6) requires players to master a longer press of the jump button for higher leaps, ensuring they grasp advanced jumping techniques essential for upcoming challenges.

Through these carefully designed steps, players become adept at navigating the game world, equipped with the jumping and attacking skills crucial for the adventures that lie ahead.

Introduction to Jump-Through Platforms (7):

• Players encounter jump-through platforms for the first time. These platforms, unlike traditional floating ones, are anchored within the environment, adding a layer of realism and immersion. The design choice enhances the game world's cohesion by ensuring the platforms feel integrated rather than arbitrary.

Momentum and Jump-Attack Challenge (8):

• Introduces a new gameplay mechanic where momentum influences a jump-attack, adding a layer of depth to combat and movement. This segment is crafted to challenge players' understanding of the physics and timing, encouraging mastery of both jumping and attacking in unison.

Unlocking the Dungeon Entrance (9):

• To access the dungeon, players must strike a prominently placed crystal. This mechanism, designed for high visibility, ensures that players are unlikely to miss the interactive trigger. The crystal's placement and function serve as a direct and intuitive guide towards progression.

Reflective Consideration on Unlock Mechanism (10):

• Reflecting on the choice of a crystal as the unlock mechanism for the dungeon entrance, it's clear that while it was designed for visibility to ensure players wouldn't miss the trigger, a more thematic approach could have significantly added to the atmosphere.

Shield Bounce Introduction (11-12):

• Introduces the Shield Bounce, the game's central mechanic, through a benign obstacle that players must dismantle using their shield.

• An instructional segment follows, teaching players to use the Shield Bounce for vertical movement. This is demonstrated by navigating over spikes, establishing spikes as the primary static hazard.

• The stairs-like design symbolizes progression and encourages strategic use of the Shield Bounce.

Skill Application and Choices (13-15):

• Further practice of the Shield Bounce leads to a significant challenge that integrates all previously learned skills.

• Players encounter a choice: a standard path requiring precise timing of an attack post-Shield Bounce for safe descent, or an alternate, more challenging shortcut.

• This secret route is a one-chance opportunity per playthrough, designed to reward exploration and mastery over the Shield Bounce. It encourages replayability for those interested in discovering hidden paths.

Introduction of the Dash (20-21):

• Introduces the Dash mechanic, which propels the Shield Maiden forward without altering her vertical position.

• The initial setup allows for experimentation with the Dash, including a safety net for recovery, facilitating player familiarity with the new mechanic.

Combining Mechanics for Complex Navigation (22-23):

• Presents a gap that requires a combination of jumping, shield bouncing, and dashing, testing the player's skill in coordinating these mechanics.

• A segment with a low ceiling further explores the Dash's utility in ground movement, demonstrating its versatility.

• Reflects on the potential benefit of reversing the challenge order to smooth the learning curve, noting that the current setup can lead to instant death but is mitigated by a nearby checkpoint.

Introduction of Snakes (24):

• Introduces Snakes as new enemies that actively pursue the player, diverging from previous enemies with predictable patterns.

• Ensures the challenge is fair by providing a clear separation between the player and the Snakes, allowing time to adapt to their tracking behavior.

Encounter with Snake and Introduction of Flowers (29-30):

• Introduces a dynamic challenge with a Snake enemy, requiring players to employ strategic jumping to avoid pursuit.

• Adds Flowers, stationary ranged enemies, to the mix, encouraging players to observe and adapt their approach, fostering a gameplay experience that values strategic thinking and precise execution over sheer aggression.

Platforming to a Critical Junction and Hidden Shortcut (33):

• Leads players through a platforming sequence to a significant junction, where a solitary Bird enemy acts as both an obstacle and a hint towards a concealed shortcut.

• Offers skillful players a discreet yet discoverable path via Shield Bouncing off the Bird, rewarding engagement with the game's mechanics and deep exploration with additional layers of hidden gameplay.

Corridor Under Siege (35):

• Features a corridor filled with projectiles from ceiling-mounted enemies, challenging players to adeptly use their shields for multi-directional blocking.

• Reinforces the game's nuanced defensive mechanics and tests player dexterity and timing.

Pressure Jump-Attacking (35 Continued):

• Incorporates pillars and a gap to emphasize the necessity of jump-attacking under pressure, directly following a checkpoint to balance challenge and fairness.

• Highlights skill progression, demanding the application of abilities refined throughout the player's journey.

Precision Horizontal Movement (36):

• Presents a segment that tests precise horizontal movement, with the construction of a platform via the shield as a straightforward path.

• Offers an alternative, riskier approach by bouncing off an enemy to reach a higher ledge, rewarding players who excel in creative problem-solving and mastery of the game's mechanics.

Climax and Final Shortcut Exit (38):

• Marks the climax of the level and the exit point for an extensive shortcut, incorporating a large, seemingly unattainable opening on the wall's left side, encouraging exploration and discovery.

• Introduces a high-stakes Dash jump over a vast gap, significantly raising the challenge. A misstep could send players back to the gauntlet's start (35), yet offers a substantial time-saving reward for successful navigation, aligning with the game's emphasis on risk and reward.

Final Challenge and Mastery Test (40 & 41):

• Represents the game's ultimate challenge, requiring players to utilize every skill learned: Shield Throw, Attacking, Jumping, Jump-Attacking, and Shield Bouncing, for a comprehensive test of the player's abilities.

• Features an alternative, more demanding path that necessitates perfect execution of Shield Bouncing, aimed at players seeking to prove their mastery of the game's mechanics.

Clever Enemy Placement (42):

• Highlights a strategic placement of the final enemy Flower among non-threatening background flowers, designed to surprise players.

• Despite the potential for surprise, player testing revealed that most were able to quickly adapt and respond, illustrating the effective ramp-up of skill and player readiness for high-stress situations in this climactic part of the game.

Final Challenge Before Boss (44):

• Features a complex obstacle requiring a combination of Shield Bounce, Shield Throw, or a Dash + Attack to activate a crystal, symbolizing the game's final test of skill before the boss encounter.

• This sequence demands a high level of proficiency with the game's mechanics, embodying the culmination of the escalating challenges faced by the player.

Boss Lair Entry (45):

• Successfully overcoming the final challenge grants entry to the boss's lair, representing both a milestone in level design and a testament to the player's skill development.

• This moment signifies the transition to the ultimate test, where all learned skills must be applied to overcome the game's final adversary.

Creating this level was a complex endeavor. It began with outlining the player character's capabilities. For instructional purposes, segments were meticulously crafted to isolate and test each skill within a forgiving environment, allowing players to retry effortlessly after failures. As the level progresses, it introduces scenarios that necessitate a combination of these learned skills. The structure is designed to ensure that any failure can be attributed more to player error than to level design—a goal I aimed for throughout. Crucially, the level design emphasizes player choice in navigation, offering numerous shortcuts. These shortcuts, varying in length and complexity, are accessible only to players who have mastered their skill set, rewarding in-depth understanding and proficient use of their abilities.

Conclusion

Reflecting on my journey with Shield, it's clear that this endeavor was my most ambitious to date, with the largest team I've ever collaborated with. Crafting a retro-inspired platformer, with a unique twist of incorporating an unconventional weapon as the centerpiece—namely, the shield—was both challenging and fulfilling.

Throughout this process, I felt my abilities were thoroughly tested across various dimensions of game development. From the initial design concept to the intricate development phases, I maintained constant communication with my team, overseeing and integrating various components into a cohesive gameplay experience, all the while ensuring that the level design embodied my game design philosophies.

Given the chance to revisit Shield, there are several aspects I would refine, particularly concerning the Shield Maiden's abilities and moveset. Certain features became less relevant over time, while others didn't fully align with our team's vision. This discrepancy may have stemmed from our efforts to democratize the design process, aiming to keep every team member's contributions meaningful. However, with hindsight, I believe a more focused approach, honing in on the mechanics initially envisioned, would have resulted in a more cohesive and robust game.

Despite these reflections, my satisfaction with what we accomplished remains undiminished. Shield represents a significant milestone in my career: a fast-paced action platformer that encapsulates many of my long-held ambitions. Moreover, the game's nomination for the 2016 Swedish Game Awards for Best Effort in Diversity, recognizing our lead character, marks the second time my work has been acknowledged in this prestigious forum. This accolade not only celebrates our commitment to diversity but also underscores the meaningful impact Shield has had on the gaming community.

Swedish Game Award Gala - Skövde 19/06/2016

Oliver Engström - Enemy Designer & Scripter
Mikael Jonsson - Game Designer & Scripter
Alex Bräysy - Game & Level Designer
Axel Arkö - Lead Programmer
Joel - Friend/+1 =P
Petronella Olanders - Environment & UI Artist
Annie Mosina - Art Director, Character Illustrator & Animator
Patricia Möllerström - Enemy Artist/Animator & Photographer =P
Eric Pruul - Composer - Unfortunately Absent =(