Sneaky Ninja – Level Design

I took inspiration from old Japanese fortress/castles and decided to try to create something similar for my level. As our game is basically 2 dimensional when it comes to the actual gameplay, it was not possible to create the layered effect, with several levels, of a real Japanese fortress. Instead I settled for having several layers of walls that the player would have to penetrate to simulate a castle like structure.

This is what the layout for the final version of the level looks like, a fortress with a outer wall, a inner wall and finally a small building where the secret plans are hidden. The major challenges for the player is to traverse the two walls, both have two entrances that require different items and strategies to use. It is possible to use the grappling hook item to climb over the outer wall, but the inner wall is protected by bamboo spikes making it impossible to climb with the grappling hook, this is so that the player is forced to go through one of the entrances to the inner keep. 

Our game encourages planning, different strategies and choosing the right items for a certain level, therefore we always have more than one way to approach the objective. On this level you can either enter at the top through the main gate. Here there’s a large collection of guards patrolling, this might look discouraging but with good timing or use of a item such as the distraction bomb or a smoke bomb, it is possible to sneak past this group of guards, the bushes inside the first entrance are also a excellent hiding spot for the player when planning their next move. To enter the inner fortress the player has to maneuver around these two guards, they simply rotate around the barricade in front of the entrance, by walking behind one of the guards the player can easily slip past and into the central fortress. But, in order to throw some wrenches into the players path there exists a third guard that has a longer patrol path around the entire inner fortress, if the player is unwary this guard might come around the corner at an inopportune time, catching the player between two guards.

Once inside the fortress there’s three guards, one patrolling in front of the entrance, another walking in a L-shape in front of the door to the inner building. These two guards have overlapping vision cones making it hard for the player to slip by unnoticed. In the building there is a circling guard, here the player can use the dash to quickly move through the room behind the guard, or use an item such as the smoke bomb or shuriken to distract the guard for long enough to steal the plans. The player has to be careful not to get corned in the inner room as there is only one way out. 

When the player has the plans he will also have to escape with them, there is another way that the player can take, but that way I won’t explain here, you’ll have to play the game to try it out yourself, be careful to not use all your items on the way in though, as you might need them when escaping!