Laserix: Puzzle Islands
Relaxing Light Reflection Puzzler
Featured on App Store "New Games We Love"
Version History
I released the first Laserix in 2003 with Puzzle Islands being the 4th in the series.
| Year | Platform | Style | Tech | Input |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Web | 2D | Flash AS 2.0 | Mouse |
| 2005 | PSP | 2D | Lua script | Buttons |
| 2015 | Android | 3D | Unity C# | Touch |
| 2017 | Android, iOS | 3D | Unity C# | Touch |
Development
Prototyping
Core mechanics already set from previous versions. Prototyping potential new gameplay mechanics.
Art Direction
Can you tell I got inspiration for the art direction from The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker?
Mood board and references. Inspiration from Zelda Windwaker (GC) and Lara Croft Go (Mobile). Exploring technical solutions for light, grass and water.
Technical Art & Assets
Assets were created using Maya, Photoshop, and Unity. Shaders with art direction and technical limitations like draw calls in mind.
Point lights for diamonds and fireflies made using a stencil shader
Water shader created à la Windwaker with placeable tiles animated by material color
Grass low poly modelled in Maya, sways in "the wind" by rotation - one draw call for all grass
Light rays made with textured quads, arrows animated by UV
Level Design
Level design can make or break a game, especially puzzles where it's all too easy for players to get stuck.
In Laserix puzzles are not just important, they are everything. Even a seemingly obvious solution can transform into a mind-bending challenge with just a slight tweak.
First level gives away all the mirrors positions using hints, the player only need to figure out the rotations.
Not being a fan of hand-holding tutorials, I designed a smooth learning curve that seamlessly introduced new mechanics once players became comfortable with the previous ones, but always ensuring they still had to think for themselves.
Towards the end, hardcore puzzle solvers face a flurry of relentless puzzles. There's no procedural generation, each puzzle was designed to challenge and entertain.
Polish & Optimization
Optimization throughout the whole process with an eye on FPS, draw calls and Unity's Profiler:
- Draw calls optimization (UI)
- Timing, flow, animation, presentation
- Bug fixes and nice-to-haves
- Level design issues
- PR material and release!
Made in my one man team @ A nice company | Japan | 2017
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