Game Designer / Artist

Overview

The Tower is an action adventure platformer with puzzle elements and an abstract, mythological narrative. Steeped in Tibetan lore, the game is set deep within the mausoleums and temples of the Tower itself, an enigmatic structure of mammoth proportions. Take the role of Kali, a warrior monk, and she scales the Tower in order to free the city below from a pantheon of false deities. The ascent is harrowing, as Kali journeys ever upward she will be faced with a variety of enemies, from lesser demons, to unforgiving gods who alter the very fabric of time. Yet, her eyes remain fixed on the Tower’s summit, the only place where the cycle can be broken and power rebalanced.

The Tower was created by a friend and I for a college course, but also as a design challenge for ourselves. This final, 2D version of the game is actually an adaptation of a 3D project made by that same friend, two others, and I a few years prior. Our passion for the game and its universe led us to expand on what we had previously created. We decided to utilize the 2D medium for scope purposes, but also because we felt the games core mechanics might actually reach a higher potential in its new format. The Tower went on to win the Entelechy award for Best 2D Game.

Game Trailer

Gameplay Footage

Alpha Footage

My Role

My partner and I split almost all design work between each other. I was focused more on enemy and level design, while my friend worked on the combat systems and did the game’s programming. I made all art for the game, from environments to boss battles, enemies and effects. Most proudly, I also created the world/setting and story for the project. It was incredibly rewarding to bridge the gap between narrative and visual styles from such a wide range of strange inspirations the project derives its voice from.

Targeted Platform

Originally, the game was designed for the Windows operating system, and utilized standard PC controls. However, the project eventually adapted to prioritize game-pad controls, while still including PC controls as an alternate option. Not only does the game feel better to play on controller, but can now be accessible on both console and PC.

Core Mechanics

Chakrams

• The player’s primary gameplay mechanic takes the form of Kali’s Chakrams, a special type of thrown projectile. The player can wield two Chakram. These discs, based off the ancient Indian weapon of the same name, are the player’s primary tool and weapon. When thrown, they can bounce off surfaces three times, then always magnetically return to the player’s gauntlets. Alternatively, if the Chakram hits an enemy, it will return to the player immediately. The Chakram’s damage and speed will increase based on the number of times its bounced since the player has last thrown it. This gives the incentive to line up shots with high ricochet counts, promoting strategic decision making. After killing a boss the player is rewarded with a new type of Chakram that has the same base functionality - but new abilities, passives, and art. Each level is designed to accommodate the abilities of each type of Chakram. This means secret paths, puzzles, enemies, and loot can be interacted with after returning to a previous level with new and improved gear.

Grapple

• The player has the ability to teleport to their Chakram for increased movement and mobility. The player may grapple to each Chakram once, until they hit a wall, or hit the ground. They will become invulnerable during their grapple, and may use it to reach ledges, dodge projectiles, or fight enemies otherwise out of range. This ability helps bridge the gap between our movement and combat systems as well as add diversity to the game’s level scenarios.

Movement

• The player is given a variety of movement options to climb, dodge, and slide around the map. The player can wall jump off of any surface as many times as they want, but must jump before they loose their grip. The player has a slide they can utilize if they’ve built up enough speed to fit through tight spaces. They also have a double jump for increased airtime movement.

Level Design

The Tower’s level design is centered heavily on its verticality and use of environmental combat. Each level typically has one main path, but countless detours, secret areas, shortcuts, and is usually connected to a number of other levels at various points as well. Despite the absence of an in-game map, The Tower prevents players from getting lost with one of its core design pillars, always keep climbing. In any situation, the key to success lies above you. As long as the player pushes upward they will always be rewarded and reach their goal.

Below is a block out of our alpha level which was designed as a first draft to showcase the core mechanics, combat scenarios, and enemies. However, this level was scrapped to make way for more mechanically and environmentally cohesive levels that include art and narrative elements. We wanted to make sure that every level was unique visually and tonally fit the boss that was waiting at the end. New level iterations also made sure to accommodate newly unlocked gear and enemies.

Alpha Block-out

Level 1 Block-out

Level 1 is relatively easy, but begins to challenge the player’s platforming capabilities in its second half. Two enemies enemies are introduced in Level 1, the Asura and the Dregpa. However, the Dregpa is unique to this level and appears nowhere else in the game. The boss found at the end of Level 1 is Mahakala, the God of Time. Visually, Level 1 is closely tied to the mythos surrounding Mahakala which involves funerary rights, crypts, and cremation grounds.

Level 2 Block-out

Level 2 turns up the intensity and challenges the player’s movement and combat skills in a more dynamic gameplay environment. Three new enemies are introduced, the Naga, Rakshana, and Vetala, the last being unique to Level 2. At the end of the level, the player must face down against Yamantaka, the Conqueror of Death, a god of wisdom and wrath. His level is taken over by invasive and aggressive vegetative growth, hiding densely interwoven technology beneath the leaves.

Verticality

• The Tower is set in a massive structure (inspired by the Tower of Babel) that stretches far into the sky. Unlike most platformers where the player must constantly move to the left or right, The Tower incentivizes the player to constantly climb upwards. The player always enters a level at its lowest point and exits at its highest. While some levels may be labyrinthine in nature, the player will never get truly lost because they know that their goals always lie upwards. The levels are designed to be vertigo inducing playgrounds for movement and combat, where the player has to always plan their steps with care while they fight enemies in a vertical world.

Environmental Combat

• We tried to utilize the environment as much as possible to add variety and depth to our combat. Crawling through a tight passageway? Suddenly the ability to ricochet your Chakrams behind enemies is useless, better find a new strategy to take down the berserker enemies hurtling towards you! On a thin ledge dangling above a precipice? Well, you can’t stand still because snipers are locked onto your position, but the only way to go is guarded by a tank enemy. Either you time your jump right, or fight yourself into an early grave! Fighting in a vacuum can get old quick. Adding non-enemy factors like a hostile environment keeps the player thinking throughout the whole game instead of relying on instinct.

Sense of Scope

• While you're exploring The Tower you might see a minaret on the distant horizon through a collapsed section of wall. In most games, that minaret would just be a nice piece of background art to populate a vacant mountain top. In The Tower, if you keep exploring, there is no doubt that before too long you'll actually be exploring that minaret (and have found something new on the horizon to explore later!) Parallax and backgrounds often depict the vastness of the space you’re exploring, while in reality the levels are scoped proportionately and intricately. By portraying a sense of scope to the player, The Tower makes its world, enemies, and journey feel epic in a way that simply having a long game runtime would not accomplish.

Stylistic and Creative World

• The world of The Tower was inspired by a blend of Tibetan mythology, 70’s science fiction graphic novels, and 80’s sci-fi pulp literature. Stepped deep within its own mythos, the world acts as its own reward for player exploration. Every aspect of the game’s design is backed up by some kind of thematic world building and art. We wanted to create a universe the player has never seen the likes of before so the game can have its own unique footprint.

Beta Screenshots

Alpha Screenshots

Demons of the Tower

The enemies of the game are designed to form synergy among themselves while still being interesting as a singular unit. Each foe has its strengths and its weaknesses which are complimented by the other demons in the game. These enemy AI are designed to be assembled in groups to create a wide variety of interesting combat scenarios and problems for the player to solve. Each demon is like a puzzle piece, which can be put together in ways to create a larger and more dynamic group threat instead of just individual targets.

Mara / Basic Enemy

• The Mara is the most common demon to be found within the Tower. Blades float behind the beast’s mask and are used as flaming projectiles to slaughter any intruders that dare enter its domain. The Mara will follow and strafe the player, but will try to remain at a good distance from danger. While the Mara is not particularly strong, agile or smart they can pose a greater threat in numbers or when accompanied by more advanced demons.

Vetala / Beserker Enemy

• The Vetala hide and lay dormant in hard to see places and wait for the player to stumble into their territory. Once activated, the Vetala will chase the player until they either die, or impale the player with the fang-like blades built into their mask. The Vetala have no ranged weapons and rely entirely on their speed and fangs to catch their prey.

Naga / Shield Enemy

• The Naga are persistent and aggressive enemies that use their abilities to corner and overwhelm the player. This demon is equipped with an impervious shield that it uses to protect itself from the player’s Chakrams. However, this shield only faces in the direction the enemy is aiming, leaving them open on all other sides. To kill this enemy the player must use their ricochet skills and mobility to out maneuver the Naga and hit its unprotected sides. The Naga is equipped with extremely high fire rate projectiles that have massive spread and can easily trap the player. This beast will also always move towards the player in an attempt to overwhelm them. Naga usually accompany the Rakshana and will occasionally assist other enemies as well.

Asura / Sniper Enemy

• The Asura are silent, watchful, and patient foes that wait for the perfect moment to strike. The Asura do not move and station themselves in crows nests, ledges, and other points with clear views of their hunting ground. If the player can see an Asura, that means the demon already has its sights on you. This beast will only attack once the player stops moving, and when they do strike, it is with unforgiving accuracy and precision. The Asura can fire a near inescapably fast projectile easily capable of incinerating the player. When tracking the player the Asura’s face will split open, revealing their third eye, an a laser pointer will lock on to its prey.

Rakshana / Tank Enemy

• The Rakshana are large, slow moving enemies designed to take massive damage and use their large bodies as a way to block player routes. This demon can withstand far more punishment than any of its brethren and has a much larger physical presence as well. As intimidating as the Rakshana may be, their weapon is non lethal. They fire a large, slow moving wave of energy that slows down the player when they get stuck in it. While this projectile deals no damage, it can make the player an easy target for other enemies and acts similar to an environmental hazard. Rakshana are typically accompanied by other demons and rarely fight the player solo.

Dregpa / Teleportation Enemy

• This dangerous foe is found exclusively in Level 2, before the player faces off against Yamantaka. This enemy teleports around to three different locations, releasing a deadly shock wave when they shift into a new spot. Once the pattern is discovered this enemy is pretty easy to take down, but can become dangerous in groups or when paired with other foes.

Mahakala

In The Tower, the completion of each level ends with a unique boss fight. The levels themselves are themed around each boss, reflecting their qualities and thematic importance. Killing bosses rewards the player with cosmetics, new chakrams, and new travel locations. Mahakala is the first deity the player encounters in the game. They are located in a unique chamber overlooking the city far below at the end of Level 1. According to legend, Mahakala dwells within black flame and can be found at the center of eight cremation grounds. As the god of time and age, he can control the confluence of the world around the player and uses time as his weapon. He throttles the player through the past, present, and future in an attempt to kill them, summoning in enemies from different time periods to fight you.

Mahakala’s Boss Arena

Mahakala’s boss arena is split into three sections by large pillars near the center of the room. Each section can be switched to the past, present, or future which changes the terrain and spawns in different enemies. Mahakala will randomly generate a complex series of combinations of timelines in order to kill the player. Below are different versions of the room.

Yamantaka

Level 2’s boss is Yamantaka, a fierce god of Tibetan myth also referred to as the “Conqueror of Death”. Yamantaka has been cut in half by a greater, unseen foe, and is using his many arms to scale up a massive precipice. The boss arena is constantly moving upwards, forcing the player into a highly mobile battle. To defeat Yamantaka, the player must chop off all his arms which will send him plummeting to his death, but he won’t go down without a fight.