EMOTIONAL WORLD

Player Experience and Feedback: I programmed jump and dash physics with appropriate responses to collisions with harmful obstacles and walls. Players at first found default controls unintuitive, so I developed a UI system to allow customization (key rebinding) of control inputs. I learned how to design iteratively with player feedback and create responsive control systems to player choices.

Level Design: I prototyped and implemented the level flow of the cave section, adding difficulty progression and environmental storytelling cues around the main "sadness" creature. I learned how to effectively create level tile maps, combine difficulty with storytelling, and guide player navigation using visual signals.

Iterative Playtesting: Playtesting was very important to this project as we wanted the creatures and world to evoke certain emotions from the player. Each player had different interpretations of the situations, characters, and challenges they faced. I developed and asked a series of questions for playtesters to improve the visual design, accessibility, movement, and emotion of the game. From this, I gained insight into the development of artistic game projects and developing UX for games where the intended experiences are not as clearly defined.