Design Philosophy
As this is the only timed sequence in the game, the player is meant to feel some panic while attempting to escape the station. I designed this level to be played at a constant sprint, and the it flows naturally from start to finish. There are clear sight lines from one obstacle to the next, allowing the player time to see obstructions and formulate a plan to deal with them ahead of time, allowing them to maintain their constant momentum. I play-tested and iterated on this level many times over the course of development until it was tuned to the point where I never had to stop moving while playing. I sought feedback from all fellow developers during this process to ensure they were able to do the same. This level features heavy platforming elements, with the puzzles communicated far ahead of time so they can be solved while running. It demands accurate singularity shots in precise locations, rewarding skill almost like an FPS game would. This level is the pinnacle of the “twitch shooter” puzzle design I had in mind when tuning the core mechanics, and much of tier 6 features gameplay interactions designed with this philosophy in mind.
