From Sketch to Puzzle: Crafting Planet of Lana II’s Intelligent Challenges

Warning: This text incorporates spoilers for one puzzle from the sport!

After we started the sport design course of for this sequel, we had a transparent purpose in thoughts: Create deeper and extra elaborate mechanics and puzzles, whereas on the identical time sustaining the move and accessibility of the primary recreation.

To attain this purpose, we knew we wished to provide the participant extra management, and increase on Mui’s particular hypnotize means from the primary recreation.

Utilizing the setting as a part of the problem

Within the first recreation, animals have been managed not directly, by primarily constraining their place to Mui’s. On this sequel, we wished the participant to as a substitute turn into the animal, controlling it freely on this planet impartial of Mui, and let the participant experiment with its completely different actions and skills.

This unleashed a complete new stage of creativity and variation within the gameplay, the place we may construct puzzles round these new and enjoyable animals that have been lurking round on this planet of Novo. One instance is the tiny ink fish. Its quick and snappy motion lets it shortly navigate by the water, undergo slender tunnels, and it may possibly even bounce out of the water to achieve new areas! Its particular means is that it may possibly create an ink cloud, wherein each the ink fish itself in addition to Lana can cover from lurking risks underwater.

Talking of being below water, that is one other facet that we’re introducing on this sequel. Lana can now dive down below the floor, which unlocks a complete new dimension of verticality to the puzzle design, in addition to stress, due to the necessity to breathe.

Mui nonetheless has her concern of water, as within the first recreation, however now there’s a particular sort of bubble plant that grows underwater in some locations on Novo that Lana can fetch and tie to herself. Mui can then get within the bubble and collectively they will dive down and resolve underwater puzzles!

When making a puzzle, we all the time begin with a number of overview sketches that we current to the remainder of the group. We stroll by it in levels, imagining how it could be to play and asking questions. Is the purpose for the participant clear sufficient? If failing, will the participant get the suggestions they want to be able to not get caught? Will we current the weather of the puzzle in the precise order?

Balancing between problem and move

Right here you may see a sketch of a puzzle the place Lana has discovered one of many bubble crops talked about earlier, and must discover a solution to open the underwater hypno door with Mui, with out being seen by the shark monsters. 

At this stage, we gather useful suggestions based mostly on the sketches, make changes and current it once more. We repeat this course of till we’re sure that we’re heading in the right direction.

Then the Degree Designers make a primary move constructing it within the engine, ensuring every little thing may be constructed with the artwork property we’ve got out there. Additionally, changes are made right here to make sure that distances and scale really feel good whereas shifting by it in-engine.

As quickly as attainable, we then attempt to playtest it on gamers who haven’t seen the puzzle sketches. It’s necessary that this occurs in context with the remainder of the sport, since typically a puzzle builds on parts launched earlier, so testing it in isolation may result in it being far more troublesome than meant if too many completely new puzzle parts are launched on the identical time.

When analyzing the playtests, we glance further rigorously for participant confusion and frustration, to ensure we don’t break the move of the sport. Having the participant not instantly progressing is just not all the time an issue, so long as the participant is having enjoyable and is developing with new concepts of tips on how to resolve a puzzle. It may well typically be a nice line between a enjoyable problem and a irritating expertise!

As may be seen from this overview from the ultimate recreation, this specific puzzle primarily saved its form from the sketch, other than some tweaks in proportions and distances.

One other small distinction is the additional tunnels added across the second shark monster, which have been added as a result of it made it really feel extra pure for gamers the place they have been supposed to put an ink cloud (on the tunnel intersection).

As soon as we see {that a} puzzle checks properly, the Degree Artists proceed filling out the world with extra visible particulars and lighting, making it increasingly more stunning with every move of polish, as may be seen on this screenshot from the identical space of the sport.

Thanks for the chance to provide you a glimpse of what goes into making a puzzle. We actually stay up for seeing gamers discover these new and thrilling components of Novo!

Planet of Lana II: Youngsters of the Leaf shall be launched on March 5 and shall be out there with Xbox Recreation Cross Final from day one! Wishlist now and go play Lana and Mui’s first journey within the wait as much as their epic continued journey, and observe @PlanetOfLana on social media to remain updated.

Planet of Lana II

Thunderful Publishing AB

☆☆☆☆☆

★★★★★

A World After the Machines Got here
On Lana and Mui’s dwelling planet, new know-how brings progress but additionally stirs greed and imbalance. As completely different tribes undertake it in their very own methods, tensions develop and the world’s concord begins to shift. When these in search of energy push too far, Lana and her little companion are pulled right into a journey that reveals long-buried truths about their planet and about themselves.

A World That Tells Its Story
Journey throughout frozen peaks, deep oceans, and forgotten ruins in a hand-painted world the place nature meets know-how. With no spoken dialogue, characters specific themselves by an alien language, letting the world, music, and your decisions carry the story and welcoming you to seek out its which means for your self.

A Bond on the Heart of the Journey
Planet of Lana II is a cinematic puzzle-adventure constructed round companionship and belief. Information an older, extra agile Lana and her loyal companion Mui as their bond turns into the important thing to shifting ahead in a world the place magnificence and hazard stay aspect by aspect.

Considerate Puzzles & Fluid Motion
Puzzles are woven naturally into the world, rewarding consciousness, timing, and cooperation as a substitute of complicated logic. Flip Lana’s expanded agility, from wall jumps to easy motion and momentum, into your path by hazard.

An Emotional, Fastidiously Paced Journey
As Lana and Mui journey, new discoveries unravel the historical past of their planet and the reality behind Mui’s origins. Their journey grows into an intimate story of coexistence, duty, and the price of progress, carried ahead by a shifting orchestral rating that offers weight to quiet moments, daring discoveries, and each emotional flip throughout its 6 to eight hour journey.

A Standalone Expertise
Planet of Lana II welcomes new gamers whereas providing a deeper journey for these returning, an intimate story about connection, resilience, and defending what nonetheless issues in a altering world.

Key Options

A Cinematic Puzzle-Platformer Journey
A narrative-driven expertise mixing exploration, environmental puzzles and cinematic ambiance.

A Companion-Pushed Journey
A heartfelt journey constructed across the bond between Lana and her loyal companion, Mui.

A Hand-Painted World in Transition
Discover a fantastically crafted planet the place nature and know-how collide, and completely different tribes reply to progress in their very own methods.

Fluid Exploration & Motion
Information an older, extra agile Lana with wall jumps, easy traversal, and dynamic motion throughout numerous environments.

Considerate & Various Puzzles
Puzzles are woven naturally into the world, specializing in remark, timing, and cooperation moderately than complicated logic.

Storytelling With out Phrases
No spoken dialogue. That means emerges by visuals, music, and your interactions with the world.

An Emotional, Fastidiously Paced Sci-Fi Story
Uncover new truths concerning the planet and Mui’s previous in a 6-8 hour cinematic journey, accompanied by a shifting orchestral rating.