This project was a small prototype created for an assignment, and most of the work focused on producing a functional level rather than polishing or expanding the idea. The initial plan changed during development, mainly because the first layout didn’t work as expected, so the prototype went through a few practical adjustments to reach a better playable state.

Context & Narrative

The level is set in a simple, slightly stylized environment where a mouse is trying to bring cheese back home. The idea is straightforward:

• The mouse is outside its house, in an unsafe area.

• It has to collect cheese to bring back home and feed the family.

• A ghost cat appears and follows the mouse, forcing it to keep moving instead of staying still.

The narrative is very minimal and mainly serves as a basic justification for the chase and the level layout.

Level Pillars

Even though this was just a prototype, I tried to keep a few clear ideas as the base of the level:

• Vertical movement – The player moves up and down more than forward, which helps organize the layout quickly.

• Constant light pressure – The ghost cat keeps the player from stopping for too long.

• Simple readability – Platforms and paths are easy to recognize to avoid confusion.

• Short session – The level is designed to be played in a single short run.

These pillars were not deeply explored, but they helped guide small decisions about where to place platforms and how the enemy behaves.

Duration & Scope

The prototype consists of one single level.

Depending on the player’s skill, a complete run can last around 5 to 10 minutes, including failed attempts and retries.

There are no extra stages, menus or advanced systems. The scope was intentionally kept small to make sure the assignment could be finished on time.

Type of Challenge

The level focuses on:

• Basic platforming – Jumping between platforms, dealing with gaps and height differences.

• Navigation – Reading the vertical layout and figuring out where to go next.

• Light evasion – Avoiding being caught by the ghost cat, not through complex AI, but simply by staying ahead.

There are no puzzles or combat. The main difficulty comes from timing jumps and not wasting time.

Level Flow

The internal flow of the level can be summarized in a few steps:

1. Start area – Simple ground section to move and jump a bit.

2. First vertical segment – The player starts going upward with slightly tighter jumps.

3. Enemy introduction – The ghost cat appears and begins to follow the player.

4. Main vertical section – The player moves through a sequence of platforms where hesitation can let the enemy catch up.

5. Final stretch – A short sequence where the player goes back down and heads toward the exit.

6. End – The player reaches the home area and the run ends.

The flow is linear and doesn’t have branches. The idea was just to have a clear start–middle–end structure for grading purposes.

How the Level Was Built

The layout was built using very basic blockout geometry. The main goals were:

• Having a clear critical path so it’s obvious where to go next.

• Placing a few tighter sections where the player needs to move faster.

• Making sure the enemy can move in a straight, simple way without getting stuck.

Cheese pieces were used mainly as markers to loosely guide the player along the intended route.

Visuals & Assets

Visual quality was not the priority in this prototype. Because of that:

• Several elements look inconsistent or unfinished.

• Assets were used mostly as placeholders, including basic textures and premade animations.

• The focus stayed on having a functional level rather than a coherent art direction.

If this project were to continue, the visuals would need a full pass to make everything feel like it belongs in the same game.

Changes During Development

Some things changed while working on the assignment:

• The original idea of a fully horizontal level was dropped and replaced with a vertical layout.

• The layout was trimmed and simplified to keep it manageable and avoid over-scoping.

What I Learned

Even though this was just a small school prototype, it still led to a few useful lessons:

• A very small level still needs iteration to feel somewhat coherent.

• Visual consistency matters more than it seems, even in early prototypes.

• It’s easier to work when there are a few clear “pillars” for the level, even if the project is small.

Overall, this prototype did what it needed to do: meet the assignment requirements and give some hands-on experience with level planning and implementation.