As the player acquires new abilities, the way in which they navigate the level evolves, giving them more tools to problem solve.
It was essential to ensure new abilities did not break the game. Some of these core considerations included:
- Is the player fully on-boarded and able to adapt to new mechanics & challenges?
- How can I engage the player enough to encourage navigation of the space?
- How do I reuse space (players returning to previously off-limit areas due to insufficient abilities at the time)?
- How will the player navigate new space?
During development, I continually referenced the below chart. Overall, it helped dial in the projects scope. It served as a great guide for core components such as player onboarding, impact of new abilities & gameplay balancing. The chart ensured the player was kept within the realms of intrinsic motivation.
