GMTK Game Jam 2025

Team - 4 members + 2 QA

Theme: “LOOP”

Goal: 1 tutorial area, core movement mechanics, and narrative

After generating around ten ideas, we voted using planning poker and a weighted matrix. Each idea was scored based on novelty, feasibility, scalability, and how well it fit the theme.

When getting to work on the level a short list of level pacing and learning beats was laid out to get an estimation of the flow to be experienced by players. As for the introduction level to the game - it includes a tutorial part and a main area.

1. Learning: Walk, Jump and Sprint

   1. Small obstacle to jump over and a corner to sprint into

2. Discovering: light and game timer

   1. Revel of the street full of lights and “alternative path”

3. Learning: Double jump

   1. Getting to the roofs using the double jump

   2. Safety Net

4. Discovering: Dash (-time)

   1. Roof to roof traversal, speeds up pacing of the game cos dash costs time

   2. Safety net

5. “A-ha! Moment”: Traversal Puzzle

   1. Using world object around you to avoid light and traverse

6. Discovering: Global Landmark Revel

   1. Player sees a church - final destination

7. Learning: Alternative Pathing & Junctions

   1. Player learns that some streets are more full of light than the others

8. “A-ha! Moment”: Traversal through window lights

   1. Choice: Jump through (-time) or safely walk the zig-zag

9. Reveal:

   1. Landmark reveal (big)

   2. closed gates, need to turn around and see the way further

10. Discovering: New ability - Cloak & Refreshers

    1. uses it immediately to get an understanding of it

11. Learning: Go back and use cloak and jump or just jump up

    1. safety net

12. Checkpoint when entering the main area

    1. Local landmark revealed

I started the level by researching references and making a few sketches, then moved into the blockout phase and shared it with the team to confirm the direction. Looking back, this step should have happened earlier. The initial level requirements weren’t clearly defined, game metrics weren’t set, and the order of implementation was unclear. Because of that, I had to backtrack and pivot.

For the future, I’ve learned it’s important to share sketches with the team as early as possible. These sketches should include not only traversal ideas but also progression details—like the order in which mechanics are unlocked for the player and the obstacles that test them.

Playtest Results

We ran several QA sessions across different levels, and the feedback gave us a lot of useful insights.

What worked well:

• Players liked the art style, gothic theme, and overall atmosphere.

• The tutorial felt intuitive, teaching mechanics in a natural way.

• Traversal was described as fun and flexible, with room for combining moves and finding alternate routes.

• Landmark reveals and level flow were noticed and appreciated.

• Some players enjoyed the sense of personal accomplishment when overcoming obstacles.

Main issues found:

• Controls and inputs: F vs E, C vs Shift for dash, slippery movement, double jump/coyote jump bugs.

• Communication/UI: unclear ability progression, lack of indicators for mechanics, timer visibility, and onboarding for light mechanics.

• Level design balance: some jumps felt too punishing or unclear; spikes were frustrating; checkpoints and safety nets needed tuning.

• Clarity and pacing: too much dialogue, unclear goals, and some confusion about where to go.

Suggestions for improvement:

• Adjust FOV (too narrow on some devices).

• Add UI indicators for unlocked abilities and environmental cues (like light on the ground).

• Improve onboarding for mechanics (especially light and dash).

• Reward mastery with collectibles, alternate paths, or time-based achievements.

• Consider giving players more path variety and designing jumps to feel fair but challenging.

Overall, players saw strong potential in the concept and world, but the session showed we need to refine clarity, onboarding, and player feedback to make the experience smoother and more rewarding. Level 2

Information for flow and pacing with narrative overview and focus on vertical traversal

Section	Intent
Start Zone	Introduce safe space, teach mechanic
Corridor A	First traversal challenge
Gate Puzzle	Outpost Access
High Ground	Skill test + Vertical Traversal+ Visual Reveal
End Zone	Tension or Escape

Pre-Production Notes

Start in a crypt at the graveyard next to a coffin

• Intro to the level narrative (saving vampires by bringing them to the vamp hub - meeting them in hub?, matrix for vamps)

  • Narrative Beat

• Arena to remember abilities before countdown starts, leading too a corridor with swinging axes

  • Try dash or slow walk ability

  • Obstalce Beat (2 path)

• Graveyard? Forest exit to river. New outside environment butler?

  • Traversal to the river

  • Narrative Beat

• Jumping through river boulders

  • Obstacle Beat

• Wall in front, leading lines of the road to the gates

  • Left for gates

  • Right to wheat fields

  • Junction Beat + Leading lines

• Wooden outpost gates

  • Solve the puzzle to open gates

    • Set the windmill on fire

  • Landmark

  • Deny entry, turn around

• Windmill and stables

  • 2 Humans to eat

  • Exploration Beat

• Windmill puzzle

  • Get inside the mill using new trampoline object

  • High ground and visual revel of the outposts insides and a level landmark

  • Learning Beat

• Guard open the gates and rush to extinguish the mill

  • player must escape through a hidden path that can be found before

  • if the player engages with guards they set him on fire and his blood meter drops radically

  • Stealth Beat

• Inside of the outpost is a small arena-like level and find the last object in

End zone - reach landmark and pick-up an object

Full Test Results

1. Feedback Olya

QA level 1

• guy should stand on the left

• -why so many doors if you can enter them?

• vamps dont thank butlers

• F is not intuitive (E is better)

• Double jump as ability better?

• pikes are punishing

• too much dialogue

• -2nd butler should be light, not sprink

• need mouse click to skip dialogue

• C for dash is better

• Butler must say that you jump further with sprint

• awads

• 10 min for 1st course

2. Feedback Alessandro

QA level 4 (5?)

• reminded old flash games that he liked to play (he likes the style)

• give characters different colours in text to be clear

• FOV is too low

• Light is not explained well (wanted to go)

• bug with respawning and flying up

• its fun to jump around the city

• I like that the moves can be combined (jump-dash-jump/jump-jump-dash)

• maybe its not a bug but a feature with dashing into the wall

• can I make this jump even? - I can!

  main issues:

• for other people (assuming) some distances might feel too far

• controller feels very slippery

• the timer is hard to notice or that it does take time off

• I like the multiple approach

• general design and aesthetics is pleasing (imagining full potential)

• Did not feel lost (I had to stop and thing where to go but its pretty fun)

• Feels like a personal accomplishment to try find another way how to get past the obstacle

• Noticed a reveal of the landmark and

• Tried to find both butlers and got them

• Its intuitive in the tutorial what he is learning and that he needs to use it to get further

• Did not feel that it was too cramped or too spacious (spacing well made) (the alley makes sense and then the opening to the bigger area)

  Parts really liked:

• the fountain area ( a lot of ways to get past the traversal obstacle, flows very way)

• lights feel feels like "floor is lava)

• Least favourite part - the movement and spikes, the coyote jump

• I like the vampire theme and the ideas for mechanics and such and comic reliefs

• Onboarding needs to be improved

• I like the idea of sunrise

• I dont see the blood meter (need to try)

• THe art style gives a nice impression of gothic area

3. Feedback Savva

QA level 2

• space to skip dialogue

• FOV too small - felt like a tank

• houses are

• device medium laptop lagged a lot

• first obstacle and safety net

• abused the push away bug heavily xD

• reveal spotted well (like planned)

• missed the cloak part

• missed to see the far roof jump

• COYOTE SAVE JUMP NEEDED

• Mixed too much in the lore

• Needs visual UI for what abilities to use and not

• Pikes (but sometimes useful)

• Give dash ability before second safety net

4. Jakob & Friend Feedback

QA level 3 - Jakob

• liked that there is a Tutorial section and open end

• A lot of portions that can be skipped with abilities

• Frustrating long or difficult jumps

• Nice to use ability right after you learn it

• More repetitions needed with abilities to nail them down

• Things that force the player to force the replay of the level

• some more backtracking and use of space

• give the player more than 1 path option (2-3) to complete an obstacle (same obstacle and same path)

• More variety not only in 1 path, but in 2 path

• if there are eastern eggs or collectables that would be more rewarding

• Need ui indicator for abilities

• we need 3D indicator for the light on the ground (more environment feedback)

• give rewards for completing the level with a certain time (mastery over the game - rewards, cosmetics, achievements)

• adding a hard mode where dark and light is reversed for challenge

• Landmark reveal spotted and landmark navigation

5. QA level 5 - Semyon

• double jumo cayoute jump

• end point game dies

• nice to tell how much time they had left in the level when they've completed it (or how much it took them)

• momentum bug was very fun (dash)

• sloped roofs are hard to get on top of them

• player gets trapped between the roofs (checkpoints needed)

• make the goal much cleared

• tried to strafe

• safety nets are too difficulty

• not intuitive where to go on the streets

• Maybe widenes of the road can contribute to the intuitiveness of the game