Split

Oct 2024

Dev Engine
Unreal Engine 5
Role
Game Designer | Level Designer
Genre
Side-scroller, Puzzle Solving

Split is an exploration-driven sidescroller game that is inspired by the classic Resident Evil key-lock puzzle-solving mechanism. Navigating a non-linear Hub-style level, players must master a series of kinetic platforming challenges, recover hidden keys, and start the main elevator.

1 week rapid prototyping

Length ~ 5 - 7 min

Game Highlights

Level & Game Design

Hub and branch style level structure
Use variations in Y-axis depth to create visual differences in level
Guide the player by visual cues
Control the player flow by using the route and the gap between the sub-levels ' branches
Puzzle-solving mechanism implementation

Level Buiding Process

Inspriation & Level Breakdown

My primary objective was to adapt the iconic Key-and-Lock progression of classic survival horror into a 2D sidescroller. I used the RPD Police Station from Resident Evil 2 as a foundation for my hub-and-spoke structure. In that structure, players constantly depart from a central hub (the Main Hall), explore the East or West wings, and eventually loop back to the center via a new shortcut or unlocked path. This creates a satisfying cycle of exploration and return, which I meticulously mapped out for Split to ensure the 2D layout felt interconnected rather than linear.

To bridge the gap between 3D survival horror and 2D side-scrolling, I replaced those elements with distinct 2D platforming mechanics and environmental hazards. By treating each new area as a unique mechanical challenge, I ensured that every loop back to the Hub provided a fresh gameplay experience.

The development began with a map. This allowed me to visualize the flow of the three keys and ensure that the backtracking felt organic and rewarding. My goal here was to find the simplest logical solutions for complex spatial problems, ensuring the player’s intuition and the freedom of exploration, rather than a map marker that guided them through the maze.

Level Breakdown

Level Flow and Overview

Following a pivot from an unsuccessful initial prototype (detailed in the section below), I redesigned the entire level flow as depicted in the diagram above. My first draft was met with blunt feedback from playtesters: "This doesn't feel like a legitimate side-scrolling experience."

The feedback was a wake-up call. I realized that my first iteration lacked the "negative space" and verticality required for meaningful exploration, resulting in a pacing that felt far too linear and restrictive. To solve this, I applied my core design philosophy: stripping back the complexity to find the simplest logical solution for the player’s journey.

The Revised Blockout I overhauled the blockout to the current structure shown above, focusing on a non-linear Hub structure design.

1. The Power-Up Sequence: Players must first locate and activate a central generator, which serves as a mechanical gate to unlock access to two distinct, high-challenge sub-zones.

2. Mechanical Mastery: Within these new areas, players are introduced to evolving platforming mechanics. Mastering these mechanics is the only way to retrieve the final two keys.

3. The Final Loop: This tri-key decryption system ensures that players must thoroughly navigate the spatial logic of the level before finally returning to the Hub to power the main elevator.

No specific exploration order in the game demo, but this guide will follow the order shown in the video.

Section 1: Generator

This part is hidden in the lower-left quadrant of the map. I implemented a secret sub-zone concealed by pass-through tiles. The design intent was to reward observant players who had already encountered similar mechanics in the level's lateral sections. By establishing visual cues for these pass-through blocks elsewhere, I prime the player to revisit the central Hub and apply their new knowledge to find the hidden path.

Section 2: Platform Challenge 1 & Key 1

Upon bypassing the first locked gate on the left wing, players are immediately introduced to their first mechanical challenge. This involves a lever that controls the platform's appearance and disappearance. Players must use the lever to make the platform appear and disappear, thereby creating a path to the key. This encounter serves as their second platforming challenge, grounding the player in the game's logic through direct interaction rather than explicit instructions.

After completing the challenge, players will receive the first key to unlock the elevator.

Section 3: Platform Challenge 2 & Key 2

After completing the first challenge, players will return to the lobby and proceed to the area on the right. This return provides a momentary respite and allows the player to reassess the environment before beginning the next phase of the key puzzle system in the right wing of the facility.

From there, the player will stand on the blue tile to reach the deeper section of the level along the Y-axis. In this area, players must traverse the destructible tiles to obtain the second key.

Section 4: Exit

After collecting all the keys, the player will return to the central elevator and exit the level.

Project Postmortem and Reflection

Split is a 2D Metroidvania prototype that explores the mechanical translation of 3D survival horror logic into a side-scrolling environment. Inspired by the cryptic worldbuilding of Animal Well and the structured progression of Resident Evil, the game’s core is anchored by a Tri-Key Decryption System. My goal was to create a level where the architecture acts as the primary teacher, allowing players to experience the Camera/Control/Character and game mechanics rather than simply following instructions.

The current level design is the result of a significant structural overhaul. My initial draft was met with critical playtest feedback: it lacked verticality and felt far too linear for a Metroidvania experience. To address this, I redesigned the Regional Connectivity Map to prioritize a Hub model, mirroring the RPD Police Station from Resident Evil 2.

The Redesign: I expanded the negative space and verticality of the blockout to allow for more meaningful exploration.
The Loop: Players depart from a central Hub, explore distinct wings (the lateral zones), and eventually loop back through shortcuts or newly unlocked paths, creating a satisfying cycle of exploration and return.

I divided the challenges into two distinct wings to test different aspects of the player’s mastery over the environment:

The Left Wing (Logical Layout): This area functions as a horizontal puzzle. Players encounter a lever-operated system that toggles dynamic platforms. Success requires spatial reconstruction that strategically times the activation of platforms to bridge the gap to the first key.
The Right Wing (Kinetic Descent): This sector shifts the focus to the Y-axis depth and verticality. Here, players must navigate a gauntlet of vanishing, self-destructing blocks, requiring precise timing and reflex-driven mastery over the game's physics.
The Hidden Hub Entrance: Utilizing pass-through tiles, I concealed a secret sub-zone in the lower-left quadrant. By establishing a visual vocabulary for these tiles elsewhere, I encouraged players to use pattern recognition to find the hidden path in the main hall once they hit a mechanical dead end elsewhere.

The most rewarding aspect of Split was optimizing the Macro-Flow. By utilizing the intervals between intense platforming challenges and the frequent return to the Hub, I provided players with necessary breathing space to reassess their progress.

Impression Reinforcement: Repeated encounters with hidden but consistent mechanics (like pass-through blocks) solidified the player’s mental model of the world's rules.
Psychological Anchoring: By independently discovering secrets and deciphering environmental cues, players gained a sense of agency, fulfilling my core philosophy that immersion is born from discovery, not instruction.