Dillo’s Dilemma
Responsibilities:
Designed the full level layout of the Rat Kingdom (final level), focusing on pacing, traversal, and player flow
Modeled custom assets using Maya and Unreal Engine 5’s Modeling Tools
Set dressed the environment using a combination of modular and bespoke art assets
Scripted key player interactions and dynamic world movement systems, including trigger-based object movement and interactive traversal elements
Category: 18-Person Team Project
Level Goals:
Deliver high-speed, adrenaline-fueled gameplay combining pinball mechanics with traversal puzzles
Introduce mid-to-late-game movement challenges that test the player’s upgraded abilities
Bridge the narrative and mechanical gap between the Farmland (Level 2) and the Final Boss Arena (Level 4), reinforcing progression and world cohesion
Opening Beat: Sewer Entrance
The level begins with Dillo emerging from a sewer grate into the outer edge of the Rat Kingdom. Blinkos—mechanical traversal tools modeled after pinball parts—are used from the very start:
Bumpers launch Dillo at an angle based on impact direction.
Springs launch him straight upward.
Punchers provide forward momentum boosts.
Advanced Statue Challenge: Construction Gauntlet & RNG Momentum
This mid-level statue challenge is embedded within a gated construction zone and introduces traversal unpredictability as part of the puzzle's core design.
The statue is locked behind a gate, with traversal acting as the key—intended to reinforce the idea that movement challenges can directly gate progression.
Players enter a walled-off corridor using bumpers, launching into a chained spring sequence that vertically escalates them into a cluster of airborne bumpers.
The goal is to ride the resulting speed onto a series of ramps, using accumulated momentum to reach a higher platform and collide with the statue from above.
The bumper configuration introduces slight randomness in direction and height—designed to shift the challenge from strict execution to adaptive reaction.
Built with the expectation that players will miss, then learn to capitalize when momentum aligns—using timing and their double jump to close the final gap.
The statue can only be destroyed from the waist up, reinforcing intended puzzle flow and preventing shortcutting through brute-force jumping.
Gate Jump: Chained Spring Blinko Tutorial
An early traversal gate requires the player to chain two spring Blinkos—one grounded and one mounted on the wall above—to clear the city’s outer gate.
Introduced here to begin teaching multi-Blinko chaining, which becomes a necessary skill throughout the level’s more advanced platforming spaces.
Structured to step up from earlier levels, where traversal puzzles often relied on a single Blinko per solution.
Placement and spacing are designed to encourage player experimentation through environmental cues, rather than explicit instruction.
Built to show that Blinkos can be layered vertically for compounded momentum, expanding the player’s mental model of traversal.
Emphasizes precise timing and input commitment, reinforcing the physicality of Dillo’s movement early in the level.
Opening Sequence: Sewer Emergence & City Reveal
The level begins with Dillo crawling out of a sewer grate and surveying the Rat Kingdom for the first time.
Framed to establish vertical scale and city atmosphere immediately—stone towers, looming statues, and a stylized skybox define the tone before the player takes control.
Uses a trigger box that checks for the player on tick via an actor array, then destroys itself after firing. Designed this way to localize behavior and reduce unnecessary runtime cost.
Kept out of the Level Blueprint to avoid clutter and maintain sequencing clarity elsewhere in the level.
Structured to offer a moment of visual orientation before movement begins—guiding the player's eye through the space and reinforcing the kingdom’s layout.
Intended to bridge cinematic framing with gameplay by transitioning directly into player control without a cut or input delay.
Rat King Statue Challenge: Rooftop Puzzle & Gate Unlock
The first Rat King statue challenge introduces a traversal puzzle that links movement, interaction, and environmental change.
Requires using a puncher for momentum, then chaining that with a wheelbarrow jump to reach the rooftops—followed by a short rooftop sequence of precision jumps.
Positioned to teach, through play, that statues are destructible, rooftops can be navigated, and that statues may be tied to progression systems like gates.
On successful traversal and statue destruction, a nearby gate opens via a Sequencer—framing player input as the cause of world reactivity.
Built using a Chaos-fractured Blueprint, with the
OnBreakevent triggering the firefly jar spawn and clearing invisible barriers around the statue.The invisible walls ensure the statue can't be broken from ground level—pacing the player through the intended puzzle flow while preventing lockouts post-completion.
Beat 2: Resistance Base & Super-Blinko Tower
As Dillo explores further, he reaches the resistance base—hidden within the city and protected by loyal rebels. They reveal the objective: activate three massive bells scattered across the kingdom to unlock the mines and free their captured allies. But first, they instruct Dillo to climb the tower above their camp and retrieve the Super-Blinko, a high-powered upgrade that significantly expands movement capabilities. This moment introduces major vertical traversal and unlocks large portions of the city.
Design Focus: Traversal gating through upgrades, environmental storytelling, non-verbal tutorialization
Cutscene Sequence: Super-Blinko Pickup & Mission Briefing
Picking up the Super-Blinko triggers a short cinematic sequence that sets the player’s next objective and visually reinforces key landmarks.
Built using Sequencer with multiple camera cuts, camera shake, and timed transitions—designed to maintain visual energy while orienting the player.
Features a dialogue moment with the Resistance leader, establishing the mission to activate three bells scattered across the city.
Pans to the first bell, showing it can be accessed directly from the base—framing it as a natural next step after the cutscene ends.
Highlights the upgrade shop located within the Resistance base to ground it as a meaningful space in the player’s mental map.
Ends by showing the locked gate the player passed earlier, reinforcing that it can now be opened with the newly acquired Super-Blinko—creating a sense of return and forward momentum.
Structured to compress exposition, direction, and environmental awareness into a short, stylized moment without pulling the player too far from gameplay.
Resistance Cutscene: Mission Setup & Super-Blinko Reveal
A short cinematic sequence plays upon entering the Resistance base, structured to communicate story, tone, and player objective through controlled camera work.
Built in Sequencer with a brief dialogue moment to establish the Resistance's current state following a Rat King raid, framing the base as scattered but still active.
The camera pans across broken props and environmental debris—designed to convey the aftermath of conflict without relying on text-heavy exposition.
Concludes with a tilt up to the Super-Blinko resting atop the tower, visually establishing the player's next objective before control resumes.
Composed to guide player attention through visual hierarchy—ensuring clarity of narrative and gameplay direction in a single continuous flow.
Framed with the belief that short cinematic moments can carry worldbuilding, objective delivery, and emotional tone when tightly scoped and intentionally staged.
Environmental Puzzle: Gaining Access to the Resistance Base
The Resistance entrance is blocked by a high wall, prompting a light traversal puzzle that blends props with core mechanics.
Players must chain a wheelbarrow jump into a trash can topped with a spring Blinko—creating a layered path to vault over the barrier.
Built to reinforce the idea that environmental objects can be part of traversal logic, not just scenery.
Designed to feel grounded in the space—encouraging players to experiment with what's already in the world rather than look for clearly marked "solutions."
Combines a prop-based jump with a Blinko interaction to introduce hybrid movement setups, subtly preparing the player for more complex interactions ahead.
Positioned after a high-skill statue challenge to provide a moment of pacing relief without abandoning mechanical engagement.
Traversal Sequence: Resistance Tower & Super-Blinko Acquisition
Climbing the Resistance tower to retrieve the Super-Blinko introduces a layered traversal sequence designed around chaining core mechanics with prop-driven movement.
The player begins by using a puncher to gain forward momentum, followed by a wheelbarrow jump to reach the building’s first ledge.
From there, two spring Blinkos—placed on the second and third floor rooftops—are used to continue vertical movement up the tower.
Structured to escalate traversal complexity in a controlled setting, reinforcing the concept of multi-step problem solving with Blinkos and environmental props.
Designed to make the Super-Blinko feel earned, while also providing a high vantage point that offers a full view of the Rat Kingdom below.
Placement of the reward and surrounding vista serves a dual purpose: reinforcing the city’s scale and communicating that new traversal opportunities have now opened up with the enhanced tool.
Beat 3: Full City Exploration & Bell Locations
The Rat Kingdom is a single region divided into meaningful subzones: the sewer entrance, the resistance area, the market, and the overgrown outskirts. Each sub-area challenges the player with traversal puzzles that leverage Blinkos and environmental layout.
One bell lies between the resistance base and the sewer entrance, reached by jumping back across the city using Blinkos.
The second is deep in the market, surrounded by vertical structures and obstacles.
The third sits hidden within the overgrown outskirts, demanding careful movement and environmental observation.
Players are free to tackle the bells in any order, while Rat King statues remain constant across the map as an optional minigame tied to exploration and secret gates.
Design Focus: Single-region design with sub-area identity, nonlinear routing, skillful movement
Bell 2 Challenge: Vertical Tower & Traversal Viewpoints
The second bell challenge is built around a tower climb, using a multi-spring layout to guide the player through spatial navigation and vertical momentum chaining.
The tower features four spring Blinkos, each placed at different elevations around its perimeter—encouraging players to move laterally as well as upward.
One spring is on the ground, two are halfway up on opposing sides, and the final spring sits higher on the back side—requiring awareness of the structure’s full geometry.
Designed to reward observation and experimentation, with no single “correct” path—players are invited to traverse around the tower until they discover the route upward.
The top platform opens into the bell chamber, offering four directional windows that serve as environmental vistas—revealing Rat King statue locations and traversal paths to observant players.
The space is intended to slow the player down briefly, letting them appreciate the city from a high vantage point while reinforcing that traversal leads to visibility and understanding of the broader level layout.
Rat King Statue Challenge: Multi-Gate Puzzle & Critical Ramp Unlock
This statue puzzle is designed to appear inaccessible at first glance—framed to prompt players to search beyond the immediate space and connect traversal elements across a broader area.
The statue is locked behind two gates with no visible opening. This setup is meant to suggest a hard boundary while planting the question: How else can I get in?
A nearby puncher initiates a traversal chain into a spring, which leads to a higher spring on the far wall. This chain is designed to pull the player's attention upward and reframe the problem vertically.
The player is then able to reach the top of the gate, which can be used as a narrow platform to jump onto the statue—rewarding experimentation and observation.
A puncher inside the statue room is positioned as a recovery option—allowing players who fail the jump to break open the walls from the inside and retry, avoiding punishment while preserving the puzzle’s structure.
Destroying the statue is required—it opens a gate leading to one of the two ramps necessary for accessing Bell 3, tying optional-feeling systems back into critical progression.
The interaction is built to reinforce a core idea: traversal and environment are always connected, and solutions often live just outside the frame of the obvious.
Bell 3 Completion: Mine Door Unlock & Cinematic Trigger
Once the third bell is activated—regardless of which ramp the player uses to reach it—the system triggers the transition to the level’s final act: Fort 2-1.
When the player rings the third bell, the bell manager Blueprint increments the bell score to 3, which then triggers a Sequencer to play.
This sequence shows the massive mine gate opening, signaling that the overworld traversal phase is complete and the first Rat Kingdom fort is now accessible.
Designed to create a sense of payoff—visually linking the bells to the locked mines and making the world feel responsive to the player’s progress.
The trigger is placed at the bell itself, not the ramp—ensuring that the reward is tied to the moment of achievement rather than the approach route, supporting flexibility in how players solve the puzzle.
Structured as a clean transition point between the open-ended overworld and the time-pressured Fort 2-1, reinforcing the level’s larger pacing arc.
Traversal Gate: Super-Blinko Wall Breakthrough
This moment is designed to reinforce the Super-Blinko’s power by gating access through a wall that previously blocked progression.
The wall was originally built using a physics-based force threshold—requiring enough momentum (provided by the Super-Blinko) to break through.
In testing, some edge cases allowed players to bypass it without the intended upgrade, so an invisible collision wall was added behind the breakable surface.
This invisible wall is destroyed when the player picks up the Super-Blinko, ensuring that only upgraded players can pass while keeping the original physics-based interaction intact.
Positioned along a return route past a familiar checkpoint to subtly communicate, "You can come back here now," reinforcing the value of the upgrade.
Designed to serve as a clean, readable moment where movement ability intersects with environmental gating—without relying on dialogue or signposting.
1st Bell Challenge: Ramp Launch & Return Loop
The first bell challenge is designed as a precision traversal test, using distance, momentum, and fail-safe systems to shape the player's experience.
Requires chaining a puncher into a steep ramp, launching Dillo across a long gap to reach a bell tower platform.
If the player misses, a spring Blinko below launches them back into the Resistance base—reducing backtracking friction and keeping the pacing smooth.
Hitting the platform triggers a bell ring sequence: the bell changes from gold to grey and plays a stylized church bell sound cue.
A separate Blueprint tracks the bellScore (an integer variable). When the count reaches 3, the mine doors open—structuring bell activation as both a visual and systemic objective.
The setup is meant to introduce bell mechanics with a clear success/failure loop, framed by traversal challenge and world feedback.
Environmental Interactivity: Physics Props & Market Feedback
In response to feedback that the world felt static, I turned several market props into physics-based interactables to add texture and liveliness to traversal.
Tables, candles, crates, and other decorative props were given simulated physics, allowing them to react when Dillo rolls or bounces through them.
Focused on high-traffic areas like the market to amplify the impact—adding visual dynamism to a space players already engage with repeatedly.
Designed to inject personality into moment-to-moment traversal, creating playful, reactive feedback without requiring additional mechanics or UI.
Reinforces the physicality of Dillo’s movement system—when the player hits something, it feels like it should move.
Emerged directly from player testing and feedback, emphasizing responsiveness to iteration and attention to environmental feel.
Rat King Statue Challenge: Overgrown Rooftops & Visual Clues
This statue puzzle in the overgrown outskirts is designed around nonlinear discovery—using sightlines and environmental cues rather than proximity-based solutions.
The statue itself is placed in a dense area with no obvious way to reach it when approached directly—intended to create momentary confusion and curiosity.
From the nearby bell tower (Bell 2), players can spot a series of rooftops marked with graffiti—an indirect visual cue meant to hint at a traversable path.
If followed, the route begins with a spring on the ground leading to a second spring mounted on a gate, which then launches the player toward the graffiti-marked rooftops.
From there, a rooftop hopping sequence brings the player above the statue, enabling a jump down to destroy it.
Built to encourage players to link viewpoints with landmarks, reinforcing that exploration and vertical positioning can reveal hidden solutions.
Bell 3 Challenge: Dual Ramp Structure & Directional Sequence Logic
The third bell tower is designed as a culminating traversal challenge, requiring players to unlock and access two separate ramps—each tied to different areas of the city.
One ramp is unlocked by completing the statue puzzle gated behind two locked fences, tying traversal success to puzzle solving and environmental interaction.
The second ramp requires players to discover a back alley route on the opposite side of the market, leading into a rooftop traversal segment—encouraging deeper exploration and rewarding map familiarity.
The bell tower itself is blocked by two wooden boards—one for each ramp. Hitting a board causes the opposite side to collapse, but not the one directly impacted.
This setup is designed to subvert initial expectations, prompting players to engage with both ramps and understand the bell as a system that responds to direction, not just force.
A Sequencer plays when a board is struck, visually communicating the shift. The opposite side’s sequencer is then destroyed—avoiding repetition and supporting smoother re-approach.
Built to reinforce player freedom and variability, allowing either ramp to be completed first while maintaining clarity in system logic and world response.
Final Statue Challenge: Market Rooftop & Reactive Momentum Chain
This final Rat King statue challenge is positioned as an optional test of reflex and control, accessible from the market at any time but easily missed during linear progression.
The route begins with a ramp leading to a rooftop, followed by a puncher–spring combo that launches the player to a small isolated platform.
As the player lands, they’re immediately hit by a second puncher placed on that platform—firing them toward the statue with no delay.
This sequence is intentionally reactive: the player must adjust mid-air, use their double jump at the right moment, and land a clean hit to break the statue.
Designed as a late-stage traversal skill check, using tight timing and momentum chaining to reward movement mastery without blocking core progression.
Placed off the critical path to create a sense of discovery and give players one last moment of high-skill expression before entering Fort 2-1.
Level Playthrough
First Draft Gameplay Prototypes
Other Projects
