LAZULIN

PREMISE

Lazulin is a 2D sidescrolling platformer in a 3D world. The player controls a treasure hunter with a set of solar-powered mechanical wings. Using these wings, the player can explore abandoned ruins in the sky. However, if the wings run out of Solar Power, the player will be unable to fly, so the player must find Sunbeams along the way to recharge their energy. The player may also adjust mirrors to bounce light around the ruins, opening avenues forward. The intent of Lazulin is to inspire exploration and forward motion, all leading up to a unique challenge at the end that will require everything the player has learned. Lazulin was made from September 2009 to May 2010 and built in the Unity3D engine.

MY ROLES

-Lead Designer

I was Lazulin‘s Lead Designer. During pre-production, this role involved creating the initial design concept, writing the design documentation, and creating the prototype mechanics and level. After pre-production, I supervised four designers, adjusted the game mechanics and worked with the team to ensure all of the game’s content met the overarching design.

-Level Designer

I was also one of the five level designers on Lazulin. I was responsible for importing assets into Unity and constructing several of the level spaces. I created many of the mirror puzzles, in which the player must adjust a series of mirrors to open an avenue for progression. In addition to the functional design of each level, I worked with the artists to create the cinematic camera angles and to craft the artistic style for each area.

-Lead Prototype Engineer

During the preproduction phase, I engineered the entire prototype. These scripts were used during production by the programmers to create final programming assets. I also created a few of the final level scripts and all of the GUI scripts used in the finished version of the game.