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Pixel Hook

Released: September 2022

Play the game: https://edvinno.itch.io/pixel-hook

Platforms: Pc 

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Skill focus: Level design, gameplay design, and scripting.

Project length: 4 Weeks

Team size:  Myself

Engine and tools: Unity, Google docs, FireAlpaca, Aseprite, Audacity, Visual Studio 2019

What is Pixel Hook?

Pixel hook is a 2D platformer where the player has to use a grappling hook and a grabbing hook to advance through puzzles and a level.  

You can play the game at itch.io: https://edvinno.itch.io/pixel-hook 

Grappling_Around.gif

Reflections and what I learned

Pixel hook was created as an assignment, to test my scripting and level design knowledge in a 2D game environment. I wanted to try to design levels for a game set in a non-3D space and perspective in order to learn more about level design in different genres of games. 

I decided to go for a grapple and grab mechanic because I mainly thought it would be interesting to design levels around such mechanics and have puzzles for them. An example of puzzles implemented was where you would need to lead an enemy toward specific buttons, in order to open doors in the game. Another example is where the player needs to pull levers to open doors while grappling towards a goal. 

The level is designed around trying to tell the player a lesson and then testing it in the next area the player enters. The first area is a good example of this, where the player learns that they can grapple with black objects and grab red ones. After the first area, they enter a new one where the player has to use their grappling hook to grapple over a gap in a dangerous floor. 

For this project, I programmed, designed, created sound effects, and made the art for the game.

 

With this said my scripting skills improved in this project because I started to learn how to properly use the resources I had access to instead of fighting against them. I learned a bit about managing physics in a game engine when it came to handling the grappling hook + grab mechanic in the game.

In this project I developed these skills: 

  • I improved my knowledge in C# when it comes to handling physics and different components in Unity. 

  • I improved my level design skills by planning out the level more in advance. 

  • I became more efficient in working with different planning tools such as Trello and google documents. 

  • Also improved on being able to take in feedback and understanding what was needed to improve the game from said feedback.

Puzzle_1.png

Here the player needs to lead one enemy to the brown button (the enemies are the green shaped blocks) by using the other enemy to open buttons at the button of the screen.

Puzzle_3.png

Here the player has to pull the lever with a blue hinge and the lever with a white hinge, in order to proceed in the level.

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