Design Philosophy

Welfare Check started off as a class project with a tight deadline, so scope was a major consideration. My design philosophy for the project was to create a small level where the player would constantly revisit areas to find new content. This would be time efficient, while allowing me to create a more meaningful experience because the player would become familiar with the level.

I was inspired by Layers of Fear, specifically the way rooms change as the player walks through them, and wanted to create a similar system. In order to get the player to backtrack throughout the house, I designed the level like a Metroidvania, where the player would collect an object that opens up new opportunities in previous areas.

The version of the game I submitted for the level design class had a few simple mechanics: picking up keys, unlocking doors, reading notes, and taking the teddy bears to a specific location. When I decided to elevate this project into a complete game, my goals were to introduce more puzzle solving challenges, more horror moments, and a more definitive ending. I also needed to do an art pass on the level.

Puzzle Design

Due to the scope of the project, I chose to design puzzle mechanics that I could reuse in interesting ways and get a lot of leverage out of. My primary puzzle mechanics were safes that the player would need to find combinations for. With these, I could spread out combinations in unique ways so that each puzzle would feel unique. 

My favorite puzzle is the safe combination in Sally’s (the child of the house) room. This is the first puzzle the player will encounter. I placed several notes around the room, forcing the player to search the entire area. Each note gives a little bit of information about the primary mechanics at play: the safe, how to find the combination, and a simple cipher. The idea was that the player will read the note with the cipher and not understand its context. They will then read the note which gives a hint about the toys on the opposite end of the room. They would then connect those two concepts and use the toys to decode the cipher, and unlock the safe.

This was my favorite puzzle because it is the easiest to solve, but it made players feel smart for solving it. The toys used in the puzzle feel innocuous at first, but are distinct enough that the player will recognize them under further contextualization. I made sure to place them in an area that is in eyeshot of the player. Each corner of the room serves a purpose in solving the puzzle, but no part makes sense until the player understands the full context.

Secret Level

I needed a reward for finding all the hidden collectables, and I decided on including a unique final level. I used this as an opportunity to try something completely new, both in gameplay and in tone. I modified Unreal’s default gun object, and made this level about shooting targets to defeat the demon. 

I designed a level to loop around a giant version of the ghost girl seen throughout the game. I segmented the level in different parts, each of which would have a unique target-shooting challenge, and themed each part around a specific area of the house.

The main mechanic of this section, the gun, was very simple. I decided to squeeze as many unique challenges as I could with this straightforward mechanic. After testing out the gun in a blank level, I came up with a variety of fun ways I could use it. Some of the challenges I included in the level were ricocheting the projectiles against walls, using projectiles as balls in a Plinko machine, shooting open doors, and correctly timing shots on moving targets.

Even though I took the secret level in a strange and different direction, it still reflects the core design philosophy I had with this game. The secret level is themed to reflect the main level. I re-used the furniture assets, but resized them to fit the theming of this strange void  the level takes place in. Even though this level is a departure from the section before, it still feels like it belongs in the game.