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The Floor is Lava

The Floor is Lava was my first project in level and narrative design. I wanted to create a short, fun demo that encapsulates the imagination of a child, something everyone can relate to.

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My own experiences with my younger brother at home inspired the setting of a living room from the perspective of a child, hopping between different kinds of furniture trying not to touch the floor, it's lava!

With the player's imaginary friend, Cody the Cushion, they must platform their way around their living room picking up their toys before dinner time.

Artboard 1.png
Artboard 2.png

I designed two sections to my level; the first offering information that hints at game mechanics in order to teach the player how to play, and the second to be a bit more of a challenge, with more moving and falling platforms. I implemented this layout within the Unity tilemap editor to create my level.

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Once I had my level within Unity, with each animation exactly how I wanted it, added more functionality to my assets, starting with the falling tables. I provided hints to the player via Cody, that the tables were unstable and could fall if the player stood on them for too long. Furthermore, the added wobbling effect indicates the player should be cautious about that platform.

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I then worked on the moving sofas. This was similar to that of the table, but didn't require as much explanation in game as the sofa itself isn't something that can kill the player as opposed to the table. 

Creating the teleporter that sent the player from one wardrobe to another was rather straightforward. I linked the two assets and gave Cody the privilege of explaining the functionality later in the level. 

Spritesheet.png

As well as producing the sprites, I also animated them, drawing each frame out by hand.

Tilemaps.png

I also produced the tilemap used within Unity to build the level.

The Floor is Lava is one of my projects that is available to download on my itch.io page, give it a try!

For a full breakdown of this project, check out my Behance to view the devlog.

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