#Inferno
#Inferno is a 2.5D casual puzzle game for PC and Mac that I worked on for my master’s graduation project, along with fellow students Elena Zakynthinou and Sofie Kjær Schmidt. We took an experimental approach and based the design of the game on the methods of Rational Game Design, which emphasise “show don’t tell”, gradual introduction of new gameplay mechanics and no long tutorials or strong use of UI. As the UX and visual designer, this meant I had to take a different approach and use objects in the game’s environment to guide the player, rather than traditional UI and interfaces.
In terms of project scope, we created a demo with three levels.
Narrative
The influencer Lilylicious96 awakens suddenly and finds herself in Hell. Convinced that there must have been a mix up, she goes on a journey through the circles of Hell to find an exit, only to be confronted by her influencer-sins.
Gameplay
The gameplay of #Inferno is centered around redirecting lasers to hit targets within the levels. Once all targets in a level are hit, the level is completed and the player can progress to the next one. The game gradually becomes more complex, creating a steadily increasing difficulty curve.
UX and visual design
Given our approach to the project, my objective as the UX and visual designer was to communicate how to play and where the player should go next, not with words but tools such as color, lighting, shape language and level design. For this reason, visual elements were split into two categories: background elements that are purely decorative and gameplay elements that the player would interact with. Similarly to regular UI, gameplay elements needed to stand out and capture the player’s attention at the right times, and so we created a design system that used bright colours and inviting shapes to achieve this, while the background was dominated by darker colours and a mixed shape language.
Background elements
#1B8476
#18615A
#289878
#8D9968
#A46950
#49DEE1
#14494A
#071717
#053136
#053A65
#0E408B
#061B3C
#131230
#272855
#9954BB
Hostile (40%)
Neutral (40%)
Friendly (20%)
Gameplay elements
#F29824
#F2A23C
Neutral (50%)
Friendly (50%)
Screenshots showing gameplay elements highlighted with colour and lighting against the darker background.
Readability and introduction of gameplay elements
The main gameplay elements were those that the player would use to redirect lasers. To help the player understand their functionality just by looking at them, their designs were based on objects such as levers, wheels and mirrors, which the player would be familiar with from the real world.
Levers
Manipulate the height of hanging lasers. Their square shape indicates to the player that they are neutral, stationary objects.
Wheels
Rotate lasers in the game. Similarly to the levers, wheels are also stationary and use the same shape language.
Mirrors
Reflect lasers and redirect them. They are movable objects which is communicated by them having wheels and a round, dynamic shape.
Other visual elements such as level layout, framing and lighting were also used to draw attention to the right gameplay elements at the right time, ensuring that the player does not get lost or confused.
Framing
Having a camera that follows the player makes it possible to place our gameplay elements so that everything the player needs to solve a puzzle is within view at the same time.
Sections
Dividing each level into smaller sections allows the player to focus on the elements relevant to the puzzle they’re currently working on.
Highlighting
Using lighting to highlight the relevant gameplay elements helps them stand out from the background, making them the center og attention.
Level 1
Level 2
Level 3
M
W
M
T
M
T
M
L
T
T
L
B
T
B
B
T
B
W
W
W
B
M
M
B
L
M
T
L
W
B
M
T
T
B
W
T
W
B
B
M
T: target (not hit)
B: laser beam
L: lever
W: wheel
M: mirror
Wx3
Wx3
Lx1
Lx1
Lx1
Lx1
Mx1
Mx2
Mx1
Mx2
Mx5
Tx1
Tx2
Tx2
Tx1
Tx3
Tx1
Bx1
Bx2
Bx2
Bx1
Bx3
Bx1
Level 1
Level 2
Level 3
From the mechanic-map of the levels, we can also see the gradual increase in mechanics and difficulty, which was achieved by introducing one new gameplay element per level and using them in combination with the existing ones. So although level one has more individual puzzles than level two and three, the increase in the amount of mechanics and them being combined with one another increases the complexity of the puzzles the player has to solve.
Playtesting
The methods for playtesting the game consisted of both in-person tests as well as remote tests, where players were sent a build and answered a questionnaire. We used both as the in-person tests give a good indication of a player’s reaction to the game and if they find it enjoyable, while the remote tests could be done at a larger scale, giving more conclusive results. Tests of both kinds were conducted regularly throughout development, and concluded with a final playtest on 19 people. Here, results showed that 17 out of 19 players understood the gameplay and how the puzzles should be solved, indicating that the game successfully communicates this to the player. Furthermore, 63% of players found the level of difficulty moderate, with the remainder placing slightly above or below moderate difficulty, which indicates a level of difficulty we would like to have for a casual puzzle game.