Game Designer
Potions: A Curious Tale
ROLE
Game Designer
DESCRIPTION
Potions: A Curious Tale is an adventure & crafting game where wit is your greatest weapon and combat is not always the answer. Play as Luna, a young witch who overcomes obstacles with the potions she brews, as she gathers items from enchanted lands and conquers devious puzzles on her quest.
Level Design
I started working on Potions in the later stages of its development, so my contribution to the level design was mostly for some of its later levels: both levels in Fire Mountain, the Temple of Destruction, and the Temple of Life, but I also contributed to the redesign of its first dungeon, the Temple of Truth.
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You can find footage of these levels in the video below (I will provide timestamps to each relevant level in their respective sections)
Fire Mountain
For the Fire Mountain levels, I provided the initial level design and implementation that was later finalised by the director, Renee Gittins, before release. The level design centres around the player flying on their broomstick over lava, a mechanic I created and implemented in these levels to add a magical feel. I wanted to use what makes Fire Mountain so unique to the other levels, the lava, as a prominent part of the level design, and since the player already uses their broom to 'sprint' through the levels, I thought it would be a nice addition to a tool they were already using.
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My process for creating these levels involved first creating lists of things the level needed as well as any puzzle mechanics I could include. Once I had those, I created rough sketches of potential layouts of the levels and then used those for whiteboxing in engine.
Entrance
For the first level of Fire Mountain, I wanted to primarily focus on teaching the player about the new flying mechanic, but I also wanted to add a memorable set piece to the level, which ended up being a maze using previously established orb-gate mechanics to traverse through (more on this in the Puzzle Design section). The broom-flying mechanic is utilised heavily in the second Fire Mountain level, so I wanted to make sure players couldn't leave level 1 without understanding and using this mechanic. To do this, the level features a set path of lava that the player flies across so that they have to use this flying mechanic, but can't get lost so they can focus on gaining this new skill. The path then leads to the maze. Before the player starts the lava section, they come across a small gap of lava that they can only cross on their broom and tutorial dialogue from the companion character, Helios, thematically explaining how the mechanic works. Once they cross it, they quickly come to the lava path where they can test out their new-found skill.
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Time range: 2:27:15 - 2:29:34
Lava Fields
The second level of Fire Mountain, Lava Fields, features a vast lava ocean that the player flies across. In this ocean are various islands that the player can stop at and find treasure chests and monsters to fight, as well as two orbs that open a gate to the next area of the game, the Temple of Destruction. Whereas the Entrance is an introduction to using your broom to fly over lava, I wanted Lava Fields to fully utilise the mechanic, hence the giant open space where the player can explore on their broom to their heart's content.
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Time range: 2:29:34 - 2:33:50
Temple of Destruction
I worked on the design for the Temple of Destruction with fellow designer Gregor Smith. My role was to primarily design and implement the overall layout of the temple, but I also was in charge of several rooms as well as the puzzles within them. The temple design was then finalised by Renee Gittins.
To fit in with the theme of 'destruction', I wanted to design the temple to have sections destroyed and blocked off as you progress. I wanted to give the feeling that the temple was crumbling behind you, and to add a bit of tension since this was the second to last temple in the game. Throughout the level, certain hallways become blocked off due to the roaring or fire breathing of the corrupted dragon, the temple's boss. The player would then solve puzzles to traverse through unblocked paths.
Since this temple was in Fire Mountain, I also wanted to utilise fire mana-based potions made with material found in the previous lava areas, so I created and implemented a brazier lighting puzzle mechanic where the player can reveal hidden objects and paths by lighting or putting out braziers. This could later be done with an object called a 'deluminator' created by Renee to help players conserve their resources. This mechanic is used to find hidden treasure chests but also to traverse through two maze rooms that Gregor and I worked on respectively (more on this in the puzzle design section).
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Time Range: 2:35:59 - 2:47:05
Temple of Life
The design and implementation for the Temple of Life were done primarily by me while Gregor Smith worked on lily pad mechanic implementation and the final boss room, and Renee Gittins finalised before release. We wanted the temple to capture the life cycle of plants, from growth to decay and then to rebirth. Each room, aside from the opening room, was themed after one of these stages until the final boss room at the end.
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Each section of the Temple of Life follows a similar pattern: the player comes across a mound of dirt (like the beanstalks in previous levels), they find a seed to put into the dirt, they find a button that causes water to flow into the mound of dirt—thus growing a beanstalk they climb up the beanstalk to a pool of water covered in lily pads, and then they hop across the lily pads until they get to the next growth cycle room. The player will have to solve puzzles and fight enemies in order to find these seeds and buttons.
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The layout of the temple is designed to be a tall, 4-5-story structure, with each floor containing a lily pad pool and a beanstalk puzzle room. Once the player presses each floor's button, water from the lily pad pool on the floor above flows into the beanstalk patch. This was inspired by garden fountains much like the one to the left.
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Time Range: 3:08:48 - 3:19:28
Temple of Truth
The Temple of Truth was already designed and implemented by the time I started working on Potions, but after the Temple of Life, our director Renee Gittins asked me to redesign the layout of the temple, which was then finalised by her. I wanted to maintain the original integrity of the design as much as possible, so instead of starting from the ground up, I mostly rearranged the rooms that were already in the temple, but added a few extras to maintain the flow. To do this, I made a list of all the needed elements the temple should have (what mechanics are we teaching and when, what puzzles do we have, what narrative moments are there, etc.) and created sketches of where I would place them, crossing off the list as I go.
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Time Range: 2:02:59 - 2:08:44
Puzzle Design
In addition to level design, I also created many of the puzzles in those levels as well as elsewhere in the game. These include the maze in Fire Mountain, many of the puzzles in the Temple of Destruction and the Temple of Life, as well as a cooperative puzzle between the player and the character Emily in the swamp area.
As with the previous section, you can find footage of these puzzles in the video below, and I will provide timestamps for the puzzles in each section:
Fire Mountain Maze
For the puzzle in the Entrance of Fire Mountain, I wanted to take the previously established orb-gate mechanic and use it as the main mechanic in a maze. The maze has red and blue orbs that, when the player interacts with them, close all gates in the area of their respective colour. It's a mechanic that I had seen used in mazes in other games before, and when I became familiar with the orb-gates as I started working on Potions, I knew they would be perfect for such a maze. My goal was to encourage players to discover new paths along the maze while they were searching for the orb blocking their current path.
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Time Range: 2:28:08 - 2:29:34
Temple of Desctruction
In the Temple of Destruction, I did the initial work for the lighting sconce mechanic, which allows players to change the lighting in a room and reveal hidden objects depending on said lighting. I used this to create rooms with hidden chests as well as one of the lighting maze rooms.
Hidden Chests
In the temple, there are two rooms that have chests that are revealed once the proper lighting conditions are met. One hidden chest holds the deluminator, which allows players to light sconces without using any potions and thus using up their resources. In said room, the player is met with an illuminated sconce, once they put out the sconce, the hidden chest with the deluminator is revealed. This is intended to be the first hidden chest room the player comes across, and thus is mostly focused on both teaching the mechanic and teaching that sometimes the solution is to turn out the lights.
In the second hidden chest room, the player is met with two scones, one illuminated and one not. Once the player makes it so that both sconces are flameless, the hidden chest with resources is revealed.
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Time Range: 2:37:45 - 2:38:16 & 2:41:49 - 2:41:59
Sconce Maze
There are two sconce maze puzzles in the Temple of Destruction, and I worked on the one in the right area. This room has two entrances/exits, but one is blocked until the player solves this puzzle. When the player first enters this room, it is dark with statues blocking paths in the room (including the exit) and an unlit sconce. Once the player lights the sconce, the room lights up and some statues are removed, creating a path forward, while some statues are revealed, locking them into the puzzle. The player traverses this maze, lighting up sconces as they go, until they get to the final one. This opens the exit and creates a traversable path for the player to go from exit to exit on subsequent visits to the room.
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Time Range: 2:38:25 - 2:38:49
Temple of Life
The Temple of Life is set up so that in order to progress to the next room, the player will have to find the seed and the button needed to make the vines to the next area grow. To do this, the player will have to search around the room for these items and then figure out what's required to make a path to them. Some reoccurring mechanics I used in the level/puzzle design of these rooms include climbing smaller vines that take you across gaps in the room, throwing water potions across gaps to grow said vines, destroying objects that obstruct the flow of water (including the golem that is activated by the water in the final room), etc. There are also lily pad sections that I created as a fun way to start the room on the next floor. In these sections, players would choose directions to hop to once they landed on each lily pad. These would ultimately take you to the next room, but each one also had paths the players could hop to that led to treasure chests.
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Time Range: 3:08:48 - 3:19:28
Emily Swamp Puzzle
Before the Temple of Life, the player encounters the previously established rival character, Emily. The characters navigate two corridors where the things each character does on their side open a path for the other. In this puzzle, the player navigates one side and Emily navigates the other through some simple AI, each taking turns opening doors and drawing away monsters for the other. Since this is close to the end of the game, narratively, solving this collaborative puzzle with the player helps Emily resolve her issues with asking for help.
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Time Range: 3:00:05 - 3:01:18
Combat Design
Aside from level design and puzzle design, I also contributed to the combat design of several of the boss fights (for the Grootslang and Siren specifically) as well as the fairy wave fight in the Temple of Destruction. One of the design goals of these fights was to limit the amount of potions needed to complete the fights so players could conserve their resources. Each fight has options to damage the boss without using any potions.
You can find footage of these combat encounters in the video below, and I will provide timestamps in each section:
Grootslang Boss Fight
One of the quests the player can complete involves saving dwarves from a cave-in in the Fairy Forest. At the end of the cave, the player will have to fight the Grootslang. The original boss design was done by Renee Gittins, with myself taking over for further design and implementation and then finalisation by Renee. When I started work on the Grootslang, Renee had come up with all of the attacks and implemented many of them in the state machine. I took on designing and implementing the attacks that hadn't been worked on yet and got them ready to be tested. Among these attacks were the Tail Slam and the Head Slam, which would cause the arena to shake and drop stalactites from the ceiling. The player could lead the appendages of the Grootslang underneath these stalactites before they fell, allowing the player to damage the Grootslang without using any potions.
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Time Range: 1:34:58 - 1:36:18
Siren Boss Fight
The final boss of the Temple of Time is the Siren. In this fight, the player loses access to their potion belt and has to defeat the Siren using its own attacks. The original boss design was done by Renee Gittins, with myself taking over for further design and implementation and Gregor Smith handling VFX. When I first started working on the Siren, Renee had come up with the attacks, but I took over the further design of them and the implementation. In the boss arena, the Siren is placed in the middle with two chains to either side of it. The player has to lead the Siren's attacks over to these chains to damage them, and once both chains are destroyed, a chandelier will fall, destroying the Siren and returning the potion belt to the player. The main attacks the player will use are the Siren's claw slashes that follow the player in a horizontal line once the attack starts, allowing players to guide this line to the chains. Once one of the chains has been destroyed, an extra claw is added to this attack, making it more powerful.​ Other attacks the Siren has are its singing attack, which will draw the player into the Siren if they are within a certain radius, as well as its shriek attack, which will damage the player unless they go behind pillars in the arena where the attack won't reach.
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Time Range: 2:23:59 - 2:25:23
Fairy Wave Fight
Once the player finds the key mould in the Temple of Destruction, they have to place it in the forge to make the key they need to progress. While this key is being made, the player will have to fight waves of fairies that will come out of portals of darkness in the room. These fairies will come out one at a time at a rate that doesn't overwhelm the player but also engages them for this timed battle. All the fairies go away once the key is forged.​
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Time Range: 2:43:26 - 2:44:34
UI Design
While most of my work on Potions focused on content creation, I also contributed to some of its UI changes. This was primarily its choice of fonts and the layouts for several UI elements, such as its quest UI and the new item pick-up UI.
Fonts
Before my work on the UI, Potions used different fonts for its headers, body text, and flavour text. My thoughts when choosing these new fonts were different depending on their purpose. For the header font, I wanted something bold with a magical, curvy feel to it, something that would match the font used for Potions' title. For the body font, I wanted something readable above all else but also thinner to provide a contrast from the header font. And for the flavour text, I wanted something bold and magical, like the header font, but something that stood out less, so the focus was more on readability than creating attention.
UI Layouts
While I contributed to several different areas for Potions' UI design, such as the quest HUD, potion equipping screen, and item pick-up UI, I wanted to highlight the changes made to the New Recipe UI as a way to show my thought process. Below, to the left, is the original layout of this UI element, and to its right is the final result. When talking to Renee about the element, she wanted greater emphasis to be put on the recipe's mana values while maintaining the original mana circle so players could associate the symbols and colours with their respective mana. I went through several iterations, but I ended with the one on the right. In this version, the recipe's mana value is the topmost element instead of the ingredients, and the value of the mana is now displayed on the symbol itself instead of to the side. The mana types not in use are also desaturated so the player can focus more on the available mana. With this change, my goal was for the player to know the mana value they need at a quick glance instead of having to look to the side of each individual mana type. My hope is that this, as well as moving the ingredients list to the bottom, made potion crafting easier, as the player will need to know the mana values needed to craft a potion each time, but not every potion needs specific ingredients, such as the potion below.
