Defining Mid-Range Combat Through Level Design

At the core of Anchored Soul lies its signature weapon—the anchor. Both combat and traversal revolve around this heavy yet versatile tool, meaning the level design had to fully support and enhance its mechanics.

My main responsibility was to define the ideal combat metrics for a mid-range playstyle and translate them into engaging gameplay beats. This involved extensive testing and iteration to determine the right spacing, enemy placement, and encounter design, ensuring that every battle felt fluid, rewarding, and aligned with the game’s core identity. 

By refining these metrics, I helped shape levels that naturally challenge and empower players, making the anchor feel like an extension of their skill and strategy.

Solving Isometric Perspective Challenges

In isometric games, clarity in depth and navigation is crucial, but during Anchored Soul's development, players struggled to distinguish heights, depths, and playable areas. To address this, I researched Tunic and Death’s Door, identifying techniques to improve spatial readability.

I implemented hard projected shadows and clear height transitions, testing different approaches in a custom level gym until achieving an intuitive result. For playable vs. non-playable areas, I used negative space, contrasting textures and crowded vs. empty spaces to naturally guide players. 

These solutions significantly improved readability, ensuring smoother navigation and combat.

Pacing Design Through Rational Level Design

One of my key responsibilities as Level Designer was to establish the game’s pacing through the challenges introduced in each level. By carefully structuring encounters, obstacles, and hazards, I controlled the flow of intensity, ensuring players experienced a natural rhythm of tension and relief throughout the game.

Using Rational Level Design, I categorized challenges by difficulty based on the types and quantity of hazards present in each section. 

This logical approach allowed me to create a strong initial pacing early in development, requiring only minor adjustments during production, ensuring a cohesive and rewarding difficulty curve.

Designing Beats, then levels

Building a full level from scratch is a costly and time-consuming process, so I developed an efficient workflow pipeline in Anchored Soul to ensure each level was solid before full production.

Instead of creating entire levels upfront, I first prototyped individual gameplay beats, designing multiple variations for each one. These beats were then internally and externally tested to determine which versions worked best. Once validated, I assembled them into full levels, adjusting and refining them to match the intended difficulty and pacing. 

This modular approach allowed for faster iteration, stronger level cohesion, and more efficient production while maintaining a consistent and engaging gameplay experience.

Validating Design & Difficulty

To ensure levels met their intended design and challenge, I designed an event tracking systems to monitor player actions, movement, and combat encounters. These events logged key data, such as player actions, damage taken, and enemy interactions, providing valuable insight into gameplay flow.

After multiple playtests, I analyzed this data, comparing actual player behavior with expected results. This allowed me to identify difficulty spikes, pacing issues, and areas needing iteration, ensuring levels were both engaging and balanced.