Progression Needs Clear Gates
I learned that adventure games need clear short-term goals. Keys, doors, bloodlock gates, and island objectives helped give the player a reason to move forward instead of wandering without direction.
Arc of the Isles
A Unity adventure prototype built around island progression, puzzle-combat encounters, readable level design, and guided exploration.
Unity
Game Design
Combat Systems
Level Design
TextMeshPro
CI410 Module
Gameplay Video
What I Built
The game loop is built around an island framework. Each island is self-contained, with its own hazard, enemy, or objective. A central controller manages progression, while a shared TextMeshPro prompt system keeps interactions consistent.
Player actions revolve around four verbs: jump, swing, spin, and interact. Sword combos are animation driven, with special moves such as spinning handled by the controller.
Islands follow a simple loop: reach, challenge, reward, move on. Some crumble underfoot, while others host enemies or NPC quests. Rewards range from stat boosts to progression keys, creating variety while keeping the player’s toolkit focused.
Project Snapshot
- Role: Gameplay designer and implementation contributor
- Tools: Unity, C#, TextMeshPro
- Platform: Web build
- Focus: island progression, combat readability, puzzle flow, guided exploration
- Status: University prototype / playable build
What I Learned
Puzzle Flow Can Break Easily
Testing showed that small ordering issues, such as when a key or chest appears, can create confusion. Reworking puzzle order made the island progression easier to follow.
Combat Has To Stay Readable
The combo system, enemy encounters, and boss fight worked best when the player could clearly understand attack timing, damage feedback, and what had changed after each phase.
Source Document
Design Focus
- Original design pillars focused on puzzle-combat-exploration alternation to avoid player overload.
- Target audience and tone were intentionally younger-friendly, with readability and low stress pacing as priorities.
- Progression structure centered on teaching mechanics early, then combining platforming, NPC quests, and gated combat.
Iteration Highlights
- Puzzle flow was reworked after testing, including chest/key order changes to reduce dead-end confusion.
- Movement pace was tuned down based on feedback to better support exploration and puzzle readability.
- Combat encounters were simplified for onboarding, with future direction noted for deeper enemy behavior variety.
Gallery
Key Systems
Combo System
Animation based combos, IDamageable support, Player only
- Chained attacks triggered by animation events.
- Only the player can execute combos; enemies inherit from IDamageable.
- Precision-based hitbox checking via weapon triggers.
Bloodlock Gate
Progress gating, Enemy waves, Dungeon control
- Triggered by doorways and prevents progress.
- Spawns enemy waves; gates open once all are defeated.
- Used in dungeon areas to ramp challenge.
Boss AI
Enemy spawner, Barrel thrower, Win screen trigger
- Mixes close combat and physics-based barrel throws.
- Spawns enemies when health drops.
- Triggers ragdoll, audio, and win screen on defeat.
Key-Door System
Physical pickup, Door unlock, Progression item
- Keys must be physically picked up by the player.
- Triggers unlock animation and UI prompt.
- Used in Level 1 and Level 2 for quest progression.
What I'd Improve Next
I would expand the enemy variety, improve combat encounter pacing, and add clearer signposting between islands so the progression remains readable as the world grows.