Level design - Mario + Rabbids : Sparks of Hope
I was in charge of the conception, integration and follow-up on the 4th world of the Mario + Rabbids : Sparks of Hope game.
This world was inspired by Spring, and I want in a direction of fragmented islands connecting dynamically thanks to the player’s inputs.
This world has 3 main regions : the exterior, the tree and the volcano.
Image credit : Alberto Viapiano (Senior level artist) with whom I worked in close relation for the dressing of the world.
Creative direction
Terra Flora was designed as a planet with a tree and a Wiggler train circling all around, connecting the plains and the water volcano, (unique source of all water of the world) that was dried up.
The protagonists needed to :
1) Investigate the tree
2) Take the train to go up
3) Release the waters of the world in the volcano in order to make the planet fertile and blooming again.
Dried up Everbloom tree and Wiggler train
The water volcano (Mt. Sprout)
Level design intentions
Terra Flora’s design pillars were 'Connect and nourish‘. The planet introduced three main ingredients :
-Vine bridges, allowing to connect one space to the other.
-Switch bridges, where a switch could in the same time activate and desactivate a bridge
-Trampoline (in battles)
Will all this and in order to translate the feeling of Spring into space, I was very excited to make a fragmented space where big or smaller islets could be connected via ingredients. It made Terra Flora instantly recognizable, and allowed interesting way of navigating and playing with verticality, with the new ingredients alongsides the existing teleport cannons.
Papermap in conception & final map implemented by UI designers in the game
Train station & Exterior
Marketing image - Courtesy of Ubisoft
The Everbloom Tree
Making the tree was a lot of fun. As an enclosed space, I designed various puzzles and challenges, and introduced the switch bridge ingredient in a vast connection of root bridges creating a soft maze-like interior.
The space was thought as an ascension, going from the roots to the top of the trunk where important narrative implication happened, unlocking the vine bridge ingredient that was used to slide all the way back to the entrance.
Image credit : Alberto Viapiano (Senior level artist)
Mount Spout
The last area of the world was a geyser volcano where the water was blocked, and the player needed to uncork it with a battle. Progression is again an ascension, this time in spiral, and the general organization was made in collaboration with my Level design colleague Lara Rogonja.
This area was tight, with a lot of space unfurling on itself. Three puzzles were mandatory in order to go to the top and the final release.
Image credit : Federico Andolflo (Senior level artist) with whom I also worked in close relation for the dressing of the Volcano
Example of puzzle using these strange vines and bridges
Walkthrough
Credits : UTAGameing