Third-person casual mobile game where you navigate through multi-dimensional mazes around the world using special abilities as a piece of chewed gum.
Team
Jisoo Shin，Asher Gao，Carlos Fernandez，Peter Qi
Platform
Mobile (Android & iOS)
My Role
Game/Level Designer & Programmer Assist
Duration
3 Month
Engine
Unreal 4
Genre
Casual, Single Player
Target Players
Age 5+
Overview
Gum Run: Stretch Your Limits is a captivating third-person casual mobile game that transports players to cities across the globe, each housing a multitude of stages.
The core and unique gameplay mechanic is “multi-dimensional mazes”, where players must seamlessly shift between different planes of existence, creating an engaging, gravity-defying adventure.
Players encounter a variety of obstacles that require precise control using 360-degree joystick controllers. These obstacles, whether static or dynamic, can be either harmless or harmful to the gum's progress.
Players must strategize based on the obstacles and their remaining Health Points (HP). In some cases, players can trade HP for shortcuts, adding a risk-reward element to the gameplay.
Throughout gameplay, players will come across an assortment of items scattered across the map. These items serve different purposes: some can replenish the player's Health Points (HP), offering a chance to recover, while others bestow temporary special abilities, enhancing the player's capabilities for a limited duration.
After finishing a level, players can earn up to three Stars, with the amount depending on how quickly they complete the maze. Collecting Stars allows players to unlock various gum characters, each with unique passive abilities that enhance the gameplay.
My Duty
On Gum Run, I was game & level designer and programmer assist. My duties included:
Pitch gameplay features and level ideas
Wrote detailed game design document, focusing on game system (obstacles, food, power-ups, characters, etc)
Created level layouts and iterated to control the difficulty based on the player tests
Used blueprints to script camera control (automatic camera switching…)
Participated in regular game play testing, summarized problems and proposed solutions
Demo Reel
Detailed Design Document
The rest of this project page merely highlights the most importment part of this game.
For a detailed look, please look at the whole game design ducoment here:
Core Game Features
As the development timeline and cost for the game are constrained, it's important to acknowledge that our game won't be on the scale of a AAA title.
Therefore, my design principle is to finalize the core gameplay in the early stages of game development.
The core game feature should be special enough, attractive enough, and distinguishable enough to leave a deep impression for players at the first glance.
Much like the Lord of the Rings, the core game feature need to be
"One Ring To Rule Them All!"
I started with our main character, the chewing gum, and focused on its defining qualities to establish the core game features.
I quickly identified three key features of chewing gum:
Softness
Stickiness
Stretchiness and Deformation
“How did you finalize the core game features?”
The original inspiration for this entire game came from a class exercise in which having a piece of chewed gum as our protagonist.
The concept resonated with all team members, and we felt passionate about its potential. From there, we embarked on an exciting journey of expanding this initial idea into a complete game.
My Design Principle of Core Game Features
Building on these gum characteristics, I integrated them into the basic gameplay and ultimately solidified the core game features:
Multi-Dimensional Maze
Plane Shifting
Other Game Features
In addition to the core game features, I've crafted additional gameplay features to enhance the overall game system, in order to bring players a more diverse and interesting experience.
Food
Throughout the levels there are food pickups that replenish player’s Health Points (HP).
The appearance of these food items changes based on the city or chapter the player is in. For example, Vancouver features poutine and nanaimo bars, while New York offers bagels and pizzas. This adds a fun, thematic touch to the game.
Character Passives
Select from a variety of gummy characters, each with their unique passive abilities. This not only diversifies the player's experience but also enhances the game's replay value.
Once unlocked, players can use these characters to revisit previous levels, offering a fresh and unique gameplay experience.
Stars System
After completing a level, players can earn a maximum of three stars, depending on their speed.
The more stars players have, the more characters they could unlock.
The Highway
In the game, players can access shortcuts within the levels to skip sections.
To unlock these shortcuts, players must spend a percentage of their Health Points (HP).
Level Design
As a demo prototype of the complete game concept, I designed the levels of the first three stages of the Chapter 1: Vancouver.
Chapter 1: Vancouver serves as the introductory chapter in GumRun, where players must complete it to progress to the next chapter.
The stages within Chapter 1 function as tutorials, designed to familiarize players with the fundamental game mechanics and operations. The learning curve is gentle, with straightforward obstacles that are easy to navigate.
“Which factors do I need to consider when designing these levels?”
Introduce new features gradually.
Ensure new features blend with existing ones.
My design principles when guiding new players:
Chapter1 - Stage 1:
This level serves as the first tutorial;
Players only need to move on the floor to complete the level.
2D Level Design Map: Chapter 1 - Stage 1
Chapter 1 - Stage 1
Chapter2 - Stage2
Second tutorial level;
Players need to move between the floor and the wall to complete the level.
New feature: Plane Shifting
New feature: Plane Shifting
2D Level Design Map: Chapter 1 - Stage 2
Chapter1 - Stage3:
Third tutorial level;
Involves 'Plane Shifting' between the floor and walls in various directions for completion;
Features the choice of unlocking shortcuts with HP or challenging moving platform obstacles
New features: Moving between different walls
New features: Shortcuts
New features: Moving Platform
New feature: Shortcuts
New feature: Moving between different walls
New feature: Moving Platform
2D Level Design Map: Chapter 1 - Stage 3
Playtest Driven Design
As a game designer, it's easy to become immersed in one's own creations, assuming that all ideas and designs are perfect. This misconception arises because designers have an in-depth understanding of the game, having played it numerous times during testing.
To avoid this bias, I emphasize player testing. Playtests are crucial for understanding how players experience the game, helping us make player-focused design decisions.
Throughout the three-month game development phase, we conducted three external player tests.
Although sifting through the feedback was challenging, we managed to identify the right direction for improvement. With each iteration, player feedback continued to improve.
