That Level Again

Overview

That Level Again is a puzzle based mobile game that encourages out-of-the-box thinking to solve the puzzles. The concept is that the same level (visually) repeats itself several times with a different rule that has to be discovered.

Art

Programmer art
2D fixed screen
Simple, yet informative visual elements
Basic animations

Design

Platform jumping : Simple jumping mechanic with on-screen buttons.
Puzzle solving : Each level requires a certain rule to be discovered and applied in order to escape the level.
Variety of inputs : The inputs are not always only the buttons. The rule of that level might require other forms of input. Ex. – pressing a button in the UI.
Action – consequence diversity : A vast variety of actions & consequences manages to keep the player engaged.
Repetition : The basic premise of the game is that it reuses the same level design to present new challenges.

What works well

Novelty – A very unique game play style for its time
Simplicity – Follows less is more philosophy. Uses visual elements effectively.
Promotes creativity – Forces the player to think of non-conventional methods to solve the puzzles.
Hint system – The hint system helps the players who are stuck on a level.

What could be better

One sentence clue : The level name itself is the clue for the rule of that level. This can confuse the player as it could be open to interpretation.
Frustrating mechanics : There are a few levels with frustrating mechanics. Ex. – In one of the levels, the player is supposed to use the phone’s accelerometer to move the character in the desired direction. But the directions are all shuffled and this causes frustration. Even if the player discovers the rule, they can’t cross the level if they aren’t skilled enough to maneuver the character to the exit.
The critical path is the ONLY solution : This goes to say that there is one and only one way to cross any given level. This makes it more of a strict puzzle than a puzzle based game.
Repetition : The same graphics can be tiring to look at for an extended period of time. The player loses the sense of progress.

One thing that I would change

The difficulty of the levels seems to progress in a haphazard manner. I would group similar mechanics and ensure that they are interspersed with other mechanics. That would also allow for a progression in a form that is not just the increment of the level number. I believe that the second version of this game incorporates this.