REWIND DESIGN DOCUMENT
Game Overview
Title: Rewind
Genre: 3D Platformer
Platform: Windows, Mac
Engine: Unity
Game Mode: Single-player
Technical Details
Development Tools: Unity, Unity Pro-Builder, Photoshop
Timeframe: 4 weeks
Completion Date: May 2023
Team Size: 4
Role: Environmental Design, Game Design, Cut Scene Programming, Sound Design Programming, Level Design, Video Editing
Concept
Rewind is a 3D platformer that immerses players in an ever-evolving environment. The player must navigate through collapsing architecture and strategically reset time loops to progress. The challenge lies in understanding how the environment responds to player movement while under constant pressure. Each reset grants the player crucial knowledge, enabling them to master the levels and escape the structure.
Gameplay
Core Mechanic: Rewind introduces a dynamic time-loop mechanic where the environment resets with each failed attempt. The space is in constant flux, collapsing and shifting in response to player movement. Key areas are designed with trigger points that manipulate platforms, requiring players to carefully plan their movement while responding to the rapidly deteriorating environment.
Player Objective: The player's goal is to ascend the megastructure and reach the exit before the environment collapses. Every failed escape returns the player to the start of the time loop, where the environment resets, allowing players to study its behavior and refine their strategy for the next attempt.
Environmental Interaction: The environment reacts to player actions, with platforms shifting, collapsing, or moving based on player triggers. Some platforms are decoys that hinder progress, adding an element of risk. Players must navigate this precarious environment by sprinting, jumping, and triggering movement events across three distinct levels.
Time Pressure: The sense of urgency reinforced by collapsing platforms and subtle auditory cues, pushes players to maintain momentum and precision in each run, creating constant tension throughout the game.
Level Design
Level Structure: Rewind consists of three meticulously designed levels, each building on core platforming mechanics.
Level 1: Focuses on teaching the player core mechanics of precision jumping.
Level 2: Incorporates sprinting mechanics combined with platforming, requiring speed and timing.
Level 3: Introduces trigger-based platforms, where player interaction moves objects within the environment, forcing them to carefully analyze movement patterns.
Dynamic Environment: The levels continuously shift, with the environment breaking apart and reshaping itself around the player. Each level has a distinct layout that challenges the player in new ways, while the overarching design ensures a smooth progression of difficulty.
Vertical Progression: The player's journey is primarily vertical, symbolizing the desire to escape the depths of the megastructure. However, with each reset, they are forced to fall back to their starting point, emphasizing the "rewind" mechanic.
Sound & Music
Sound Design: The soundscape of Rewind is minimalist yet highly impactful. Eerie ambient sounds combined with the constant ticking of a clock create a palpable sense of unease. The sound of shifting platforms alerts players to environmental changes, while the ticking clock amplifies the urgency to escape before time runs out.
Stamina Mechanics: The player’s stamina is carefully managed through audio cues. If the player sprints for too long, their character audibly runs out of breath, forcing them to pace their movements to avoid exhaustion and potential failure.
Art Style & Aesthetic
Visual Style: The visual design of Rewind draws heavy inspiration from the works of M.C. Escher, utilizing primitive geometric shapes to create an abstract, labyrinthine megastructure. The sharp contrasts and bold use of minimalistic shapes provide both a visual challenge and aesthetic intrigue, encouraging players to engage with the space on both a mechanical and emotional level.
Environmental Design: The architecture is deliberately confusing, with shapes placed in a way that challenges the player's sense of spatial orientation. The sparse use of textures allows for clarity in pathfinding while maintaining a clean, high-contrast aesthetic.
Symbolism of Time: While time is not an explicit gameplay mechanic, subtle visual elements—such as clocks, timepieces, and disintegrating environmental changes—hint at the temporal nature of the experience, creating a pervasive sense of urgency and reinforcing the idea of being trapped in a time loop.
Unique Selling Points
Environmental Mastery: Unlike traditional platformers, Rewind emphasizes understanding the environment's behavior. The resetting time loop mechanic adds a layer of complexity, as players must study and react to the environment’s predictable shifts to succeed.
Dynamic Platforming: The game integrates dynamic environmental reactions based on player movement, creating a fluid relationship between the player and the space. Each trigger, platform shift, and reset is an opportunity to learn and refine movement strategies.
Emotional Engagement: Rewind combines the fast-paced adrenaline of a platformer with an emotional reaction to the collapsing environment. The game's design forces players to feel trapped, heightening the urgency to escape.