PHOTONICA is a puzzle-platformer in which your greatest ally is also your greatest enemy. You play as two orbs that are forced to orbit each other despite having conflicting agendas. The blue orb wants to collect blue cubes and the red orb wants to collect red cubes. The object of the game is to collect all the cubes in each level using the appropriate color without falling off into the dark abyss below. You'll need patience and careful thinking to conquer all 72 mind-bending levels! 

PHOTONICA was created by Karen McMullan for USC's Level Design for Video Games course (Spring 2015). Levels were designed by students Jacob Braun, Lucas Kouyoumdjian, William De La Torre, Kristin Louie, Christian Gilmour, and myself. Here I will discuss my thought process behind each level I created. I highly encourage playing through PHOTONICA by hitting the PLAY NOW button above before diving into the spoilers below.

This is a simple level to introduce a new skill called "Orbital Drop" to the player. When falling from a great height, the orbiter will lag behind at first, and then force a color switch upon catching up to the player. I wanted to teach players that they could use this technique to their advantage if they need to switch colors while in an area with an extremely vertical structure.

Leap of Faith reinforces the block breaking mechanic found in PHOTONICA in which an orbiter may pass through a black block twice before completely destroying it. Thus, the level begins with a wall that must be destroyed in order to advance. However, if players destroy too much of the platform attached to the wall, they will be unable to leap across the chasm in the middle of the level. With this design, I wanted to characterize the black blocks as a resource that the player must carefully manage in order to progress.

High Dive continues to reinforce the Orbital Drop technique. The player is able to leisurely collect all the cubes leading up the last red cube on the far left. Because of the placement of the previous cubes, the player will most likely be the wrong color by the time they reach this last cube. With little horizontal room to use to switch colors, the player is forced to drop down to the beginning of the level an initiate an Orbital Drop and switch to the correct color combination. 

Difficulty ramps up in Drop the Beat, which encourages precise orbiter placement from the player. Throughout the level, a mix of blue and red cubes are spaced very tightly together, leaving very little room for error. This level opens up with a barrier of black, red, and blue cubes. Because of the color combination, the player will be unable to jump to the next platform without first slinging their blue orbiter just under the red cube. With this design I wanted to sharpen players' awareness of the orbiter's positioning in relation to their own.

Shuttle Loop is a much trickier version of High Dive. This level opens with the player in free fall in order to show the verticality of the level. Since there is very little horizontal space, players will need to find creative ways to switch colors and collect the right cubes. I wanted the player to feel like they were always in danger of falling, so the offset cube placement forces them to take greater platforming risks. To compound the tension, the platform placement also forces the player to switch colors at unwanted times, placing an importance on cautious movement.

Elevator Pitch introduces the idea that the player's orb can fit through tiny crevices. Because the player lacks the ability to jump in these tight spaces, the orbiter will become a hinderance if the player isn't careful. 

Final Destination is a mix of all of the challenges presented in my levels thus far. However, colored cube placement is much tighter than before, putting an emphasis on orbiter control and precise platforming skills. I wanted players to feel like they were exploring a complex maze, so some platforms seem to have multiple paths. Players will need to use trial and error to discover the right path and conquer this behemoth.

Gold Mine slows things up a bit to let the player think more. Much more focus is put upon the orbiter, as it will become a huge hinderance throughout this level. I wanted players to feel as if they are digging for oil, so the level descends a bit. The last portion of the level requires the player to swing their orbiter to break the ground (like a pick axe) in order to collect a treasure trove of cubes and progress to the exit below.