< “Indie Game”;”Unity 3D” >
Thermal is a top-down mobile survival game in which you play as an alien organism using thermal energy to locate its children (Baliens) and either evade or eliminate enemies who have captured them.
The player begins at HOME (the base planet), which provides infinite thermal energy. As the player ventures deeper into space to find their Baliens, there is a risk of depleting all thermal energy (Game Over), either by moving too much without recharging from scattered ASTEROIDS or by sustaining too many hits from enemies.
This game offers a unique space exploration experience from an alien’s perspective. The use of sonar simulates the mother’s calls to its Baliens, setting a clear and easily understandable goal, allowing players to focus on tranquil space exploration.
< Thermal >
My Role: Level Designer
Engine: Unity 3D
Team Size: 5
Development Time: 7 weeks
Platform: Android
Average Playtime: 30 minutes
< My Responsibilities >
- Game design documentation
- System design (enemy, stats, puzzle)
- Level design and in-engine implementation
- UI design
< Level Design Features >
I was responsible for designing Levels 4 through 7. These levels focus on reinforcing the player’s skills in movement and objective navigation, while introducing new attack mechanics and enemies.
< Level 4 Design Features >
Level 4 introduces the Explosion Attack, enabling players to counterattack enemies. This level also features the puzzle Ice Blockers for the first time, rewarding players with energy pickups after destroying Ice Blockers or defeat enemies.
When the player activates the explosion button, it releases a wave that destroys nearby enemies and ice blockers. To encourage the use of the Explosion skill, I placed Ice Blockers at certain entrances in Level 4. Players must destroy these to advance and will receive rewards for doing so.
To ensure players’ understanding, I also designed and created tutorial UI elements.
< Level 5 Design Features >
Level 5 adds more types of enemies based on Level 4, and the map design of the scene becomes more complex, featuring maze-like asteroid clusters, with an increased number of enemies to raise the difficulty of the game.
In Level 5, I designed and introduced a new enemy: Fort. Fort performs ranged attacks and cannot move. I also introduced a bunker—a shield made of Ice Blockers surrounding Fort.
< Level 6 Design Features >
Level 6 introduces a new enemy: Destroyer. These enemies will form formations to collectively attack the player. Additionally, the distance between resources in the scene has been adjusted, requiring players to manage resources more carefully.
Destroyers have high movement speed and attack power and often team up with Minions.
Compared to previous levels, Level 6 places the three objectives farther from Home, encouraging players to actively return to Home for supplies to make full use of it.
< Level 7 Design Features >
As the final level, Level 7 does not introduce new enemies or game mechanics. However, the map in this level is more complex, and the enemies are more challenging.
The map design of Level 7 is more like a maze, where players need to plan routes strategically based on the enemies and resources in the small spaces within the maze.
These mazes offer players diverse strategies and routes; some routes can reach the goal faster but require dealing with more powerful enemies, while others are slower but carry minimal risk.
< Enemy Design >
