Graviplex

A 2D Puzzle platformer made for Jamfest 2025 with the theme "Mixed Signals"

I was the Level Designer, and Assistant Programmer for this project.

My Role and What I Learned

A team of 6 people (including myself) created this fun 2D puzzle game earlier this month in less than 3 days for GMU's annual "Jamfest" with the theme "Mixed Signals". As you can see in the screenshots I included, like a lot of Game Jam ideas, this one started with a whiteboard and a lot of excitement. Although my process is usually a lot more detailed, when you have less than 72 hours to go from nothing to something, I tend to dwindle it down to the basics.

1) Whiteboard/napkin sketch

2) In-Engine implementation with programmer art

3) In-Engine implementation with functionality

4) Final implementation with full art and functionality

You can see the 1st, 3rd, and 4th step in my screenshots above and watch a few of the levels in Graviplex go from incoherent rambling to unique puzzle design.

The biggest challenge of this project was starting on level designs before we had basic MVP functionality for the core mechanics (with such a short timetable, this was a necessity). This lead to a design process that was tied very closely with programming. I'd create a level that would require a new feature and need to talk to our wonderful lead programmer, Max Fowlkes, about whether it's feasible. Or Max would come to me and say that he has to program a mechanic in such a way that I need to rework some of my levels. Design and implementation teams being in sync is always crucial to a cohesive final product, and our combined flexibility and constant communication across teams enabled us to create a great game in such a short time.