Five Secrets of Creating Engaging Game Levels – Part 1

Game levels are the building blocks of any great video game. They can transport players to fantastical worlds, challenge their skills, and keep them coming back for more. But what makes a level truly engaging and unforgettable?

In this post, I’ll explore the five secrets of creating level that will captivate players, whether you’re a seasoned game designer or just starting out. I’ll draw from the latest research in game design and use examples from our game Planet Hop to illustrate our points. By the end of theses series of posts, you’ll have the tools you need to take your game levels from ordinary to extraordinary. So, let’s dive in and discover the secrets of creating engaging game levels!

1. Show, Don’t Tell: Guiding Players Through Your Game World

A great level design should guide the player through the game world, providing clear goals and objectives. It should use environmental cues, visual design, and audio cues to provide guidance without being too explicit or restrictive.

Source: Level Up!: The Guide to Great Video Game Design – Scott Rogers

When you open Planet Hop for the first time ever, following is what you see:

That’s it, no level selection, no home screen with multiple buttons. It’s simple.

Once the player clicks play, they see the following¹ screen:

Once you tap the first planet, it’s on. It’s clear to the player that the objective is to hop from planet to planet. . It’s easy and intuitive.

Let’s look at how each element is introduced.

In level 2 (picture above), player must tap green planet. Hence guiding the player that they can tap Green planet even if it is locked. Again, no guidance. This is achieved by restricting the player to only ‘One move’ for the level.

In Level 4 (pictured above), LAVA planet is introduced. Player will tap the Lava planet, spaceship will crash, as a result the player will get the feedback that Lava planet should be avoided.

How do you communicate following to the player: “Some elements are time proof i.e. even if you reverse time, tempered game elements do not go back to original state”.

In Level 6 (pictured above), two stars are inside the purple circle. i.e. time proof stars. When you open this level for the first time ever, I guarantee that you will say “One move? How do I solve this in one move???” And then you will tap the right bottom planet. Game will tell you to reverse (as no more moves are left). You will reverse and “VOILA!” collected star stays collected. And the concept is clear. No words, no guidance needed^[1] .

Level 8 is a difficult level. At first sight it seems impossible to solve. Player will touch different planets at different angles but they will not be able to solve this level. So how does one solve this level?

Spoiler

Player must tap the top left Goomba (laval) planet

I will keep adding more content.

To be continued..

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[1] – Disclaimer: there might be some guidance depending on difficulty.