May 2024 - Aug 2024
Escape the Ruins
Tools: Unity | Figma | PixilArt
Escape the Ruins is where every room is a new challenge! You must navigate the mysterious ruins and solve puzzles to unlock the doors and escape to the next level. But here's the twist: the keys to your scape are runes hidden throughout the ruins. Can you unlock the secrets of the runes before the ruins keep you forever? After all, it's fun and games until the ruins become... well, your ruin!
Solo Project | Just Me!
Role: User Experience Designer | User Interface Designer | Level Designer
Background
Escape the Ruins is my first solo project, developed as a personal challenge to apply and refine my skills in UX/UI and Level Design. My goal as a designer is to create an experience that is simple and intuitive to play, with a strong emphasis on crafting seamless interfaces and continuously evolving the levels, mechanics, and puzzles throughout the game.
Project Goals
Explore a UX/Level Design Pipeline
Creating intuitive user interfaces and game levels that enhance player engagement. Through iterative design, testing, and feedback, the focus is on delivering seamless navigation, clear player guidance, and rewarding gameplay experiences.
Iterative Design
The goal is to refine the design process through feedback and playtesting to make key improvements. This approach ensures the final product is polished, intuitive, and specifically tailored to the needs and preferences of the target audience.
User Research
Survey
To ensure my design was tailored to the right audience, I conducted a survey with 26 participants, reaching a diverse sample of users across different ages, races, and backgrounds. This allowed me to gather valuable insights into user preferences and needs, which were essential for shaping the game's experience.
User Personas
Based on the survey results, I developed three personas that represented different groups within my target audience. These personas became the foundation for my design decisions, helping me prioritize features and ensure the gameplay experience was intuitive and engaging.
Wireframes
Early Prototype
I conducted research on similar games for inspiration (right images) and gathered valuable insights from a survey of 26 participants to refine the design.
Then created detailed wireframes to map out the game's user interface, focusing on structure and flow. This process allowed me to prioritize key elements, ensuring intuitive navigation and laying the groundwork for a smooth, user-friendly experience.
The chart (below) shows the UI preferences from my survey, helping me make design choices that best match player expectations and improve usability.
These are the wireframes I created, based off of that information:
-
Start Menu
-
Pause Menu
-
Options Menu
-
Sound Effects
-
Music
-
Screen Resolution
-
Toggle Full Screen
4. Credits Screen
5. Head-Up-Display (HUD)
Pause Button
-
Inventory (Hotbar)
Game Mechanics
Rotating Benches
I designed the rotating benches to be intuitive by portraying the direction they can be rotated using animation. This helps players know which direction the bench is facing.
Push Crates onto Pressure Plates
I made the pushing crate mechanic clear by visually connecting the crates to the pressure plates. This allows players to instantly understand how to interact with the environment, fitting smoothly into the puzzle flow.
Interacting with Objects
I ensured that interactions with objects feel responsive. Using camera panning, visual cues, and audio signals to communicate to players when something is interactable, guiding the player effectively.
Player Onboarding
The onboarding begins as the player spawns into the game, with floating text prompting them to use WASD to move. When approaching interactable objects, additional text appears, instructing them to press E to interact.
These prompts disappear when the player moves out of range and reappear if they return, serving as a helpful reminder for the controls that will be used throughout the game. See video below.
User Testing
Level Design
Room 1
Planning/Overhead Map
The overhead map for my first room shows a thoughtful layout that balances exploration with clear guidance.
It highlights tutorial triggers and key interactables, like pressure plates, crates, pillars, a door, and a chest—so each element supports a cohesive player experience.
Prototype/Final
Room 1 introduces a core mechanic through contextual tutorial prompts that appear near key objects. These guide basic actions like movement and interaction, disappearing when players move away but returning if needed.
Players learn to push objects using the “E” prompt, and solving the puzzle rewards a rune, raises the pillar, and unlocks the next area.
Room 2
Planning/Overhead Map
Room 2 centers on two benches, with clear annotations for stair direction and key objects. The layout gives players space to interact with the environment while maintaining smooth movement and setting up the next puzzle.
Prototype/Final
In this room, players learn to rotate two benches to solve the puzzle, with a hint in the top-left to guide them. Completing it rewards a rune and unlocks the path to Room 3.
Room 3
Planning/Overhead Map
The overhead map in Room 3 showcases a layered puzzle that combines pushing and rotating mechanics. It points players to key areas and shows how the sign interaction connects everything into a cohesive challenge.
Prototype/Final
Room 3 builds on earlier puzzles by combining bench rotation with interactable crates. A sign moves a wall to reveal a second bench and open a path downstairs, leading to a locked room where players solve the crate puzzle. This adds complexity and sets up the challenge in Room 4.
Room 4
Planning/Overhead Map
The level layout builds on earlier mechanics like bench rotation and crate pushing while adding new complexity. Interconnected rooms lead to a central hub with the exit and rune altar, guiding players through a logical sequence of puzzles that encourage exploration and problem-solving.
Prototype/Final
Room 4 builds on earlier mechanics with a more complex, multi-step puzzle. From a central hub, players explore interconnected spaces, combining bench rotation, crate pushing, and hidden interactions to reach the final rune.
What I Learned
This project has been an important and memorable experience in both UX/UI and Level Design, deepening my understanding of how thoughtful design enhances player engagement. I learned the importance of clarity and usability, in creating intuitive UI menus.
In Level Design, I created engaging puzzles that not only challenge players but also guide through the game world using visual cues and spatial relationships. In this process, I learned my hardships and how to overcome challenges using creative solutions.
Looking ahead, I would focus more on playtesting early in the development process to gather feedback sooner, allowing for more refinements.