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Description
Embers of Beyond is a puzzle platformer set in a mystical ghost realm. Player controls a lantern-bearing girl who transforms into various characters along her journey to solve intricate environmental puzzles.
Contribution
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Designed gameplay mechanism, enemies, environmental hazards, and interactive puzzles for 4 levels to create narrative experience
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Curated player emotion and experience flow through level pacing and puzzle difficulty, and environmental storytelling and
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Implemented gameplay and levels in engine
Level Design
Tutorial
unease
uncertainty
>>
eerie curious
Village
>>
(pace breaker)
safe
relaxed
smooth
Bamboo Forest
>>
(Alternative path)
alarmed
strategic
Mountain
Player emotion
Alternative path
low Risk = low Reward
high Risk = high Reward
Design Process
There were two separate types of resources in the initial design:
1. the ember light to light the path for the player
2. a one-time use talisman as the prerequisite for controlling spirit
Play tests proved two unrelated resources to be redundant and confusing, so I combined into one (ember) in later versions of the game.
Resources
Enemy AI State Machines
AI Finite State Machine:
The core game mechanic is related to NPC spirits that requires AI state machines. Breaking actions into distinct states like Idle, Cut, Walk (and etc.) ensures modular and scalable AI behavior across different characters. Each character’s state transitions are handled based on timers, conditions, or random choices.
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State Enum: Defines each character’s possible states (e.g., Idle, Walk, Sit).
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State Functions: Each function (e.g., State Idle, State Cut) manages a specific behavior.
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Transitions: Controlled in FSM(), enabling smooth shifts between states based on predefined triggers.
Lumberjack
Player interactable detector
Character
Environmental Assets
Character
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