Max - Portfolio

Skylar & Plux Challenge Maps

— ENGINE & TOOLS

Unreal Engine, Perforce

— TEAM

Solo Project

— DEVELOPMENT TIME

3 Weeks

— DESCRIPTION

The goal of this project was to create 3 challenge maps for the game Skylar & Plux made by Right Nice Games.


The assets and mechanics were already implemented so my job was to create the levels, design the environments and do the level art.


The level I put the most time in I called Forest Trip. It is set in a mysterious and abstract forest.


Skylar & Plux on Steam


The finish line can be seen from the start point.

Enemies guarding the house entrance.

Design Goals For The Level


1. Guiding the player: Because this was a timed challenge map with performance-based medals, I wanted players to understand upcoming challenges from a distance and be able to plan ahead quickly.


2. Challenging and fun: I wanted to make a level that felt challenging but not frustrating.


3. Environment & feel: Below are some of the photographs I took that inspired the level’s lighting, environment and atmosphere.

Reference Photos for Forest Trip

The First Thing You See (Guiding the player)


When starting up the level you see a big bouncy mushroom ahead of you and the path and lights are guiding the player there. The difference in grass height is telling you where the path goes. I put a lantern a bit further to the left to let the player know that the level path is going to turn in that direction after your first jump. I tried to have this kind of guidance mindset throughout the whole level.

Climbing Trees & Jumping Logs (Environment & Feel)

Skylar climbing a tree in the level.

The photo I took that inspired this.

Skylar jumping on logs avoiding lasers.

The photograph I took that inspired this.

The Other Two

One of the other levels I made I called Lava Ascend and is a big lava mountain that you have to conquer. Along the way there is dangerous falling lava rocks, enemies and challenging platforming.

Finally I made the level Puzzle Cloud which is a bit more laid back experience. Here i challenge the player to think a bit more. The player has to stop and look at their surroundings to reach their goal.