Project Overview
Play as the Sandman and dispel all Nightmares within the sleeping mind of a child. Throw sand to put enemies to sleep, then turn them into harmless dreams.
Contributions:
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Designed and balanced a system in which the player spends their health to shoot projectiles that stun the enemy
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Designed and balanced 3 enemy types, including a crusher that becomes a platforming element when destroyed
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Blocked and set-dressed Level 2 (of 2) as a winding puzzle platforming section, where the player must travel back and forth as they open paths to progress further in
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Sprite Artist/Concept Artist
Team Size: 2 Students
(class project)
'Sandman' Full Walkthrough
(Note: The level I designed starts at 02:35)
Sandman Gameplay Design
(project information in this section may be present in others as well if relevant)
Note: Website still under construction. This page will be expanded with more diagrams, gifs, and text
Game Overview:
The player controls the Sandman, dispelling Nightmares and turning them into dreams. Sandman's health is represented by an hourglass that is emptied by enemy damage, however the sandman can draw small amounts from this same hourglass to shoot sand projectiles that put enemies to sleep. Being hit by an enemy will set the hourglass to low sand, and being hit with low sand will result in a death. The player must use this ability wisely and replenish sand at dream flowers, all while hunting down every Nightmare in this puzzle-action platformer.
Sand Projectiles and Health...
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Sand projectiles derive from your health, and can be fired 3 times before putting the player at 'low sand'
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Sandman can not fire while at 'low sand', since he wouldn't willingly use all his health
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Sand projectiles do not kill enemies and are not required to do so, they stun enemies to stop their movement. Jumping on their heads will kill them
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Stunning enemies makes dispatching them way easier in many circumstances, as the enemies move quickly and often over spikes
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If hit by an enemy when not at 'low sand', the sandman's health instantly drops to 'low sand' no matter the prior amount
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Similar to rings in Sonic the Hedgehog, except they can be used as weapons
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Enemies...
There are 3 enemy types that Sandman must dispel:
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The horizontal and vertical 'Crusher' will slam down onto the ground or wall when Sandman passes under or beside it, before returning to their starting position. Jumping on their Eye weak-spot transforms them into a cloud platform that travels back-and-forth on the path they moved along as an enemy.
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Turning Crushers into Clouds is an important part of opening routes to new areas, especially in the more maze-like level 2.
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Their presence is indicated by the 'cloud sign', as to not take players completely by surprise when they fly in from off-screen.
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Using sand to lock them in place is helpful for jumping on their weak-spots, giving the player a more generous time-slot to do so.
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Level Obstacles & Elements...
<- Hourglass health starts full
Sand is lessened with each projectile thrown ->
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Sand is replenished at Dream Flowers, which Sandman creates from defeating the 'Shooter' enemy. Dream Flowers remain in the level and can be reused
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The 'Crab' will quickly run back and forth within their given area. Using a sandblast on them makes landing on one much easier due to their speed.
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They are most challenging when multiple run back-to-back, or running over spikes that the player can't touch.t
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The 'Shooter' will continuously shoot projectiles at the player, creating a tense platforming challenge of jumping between shots to reach them
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Spike floors add extra difficulty to platforming over their projectiles
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They become sand-replenishing Dream Flowers when defeated, so while difficult they are a rewarding foe to face
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(drawn by me)
(drawn by me)
^ (drawn by me)
(drawn by me)
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'Checkpoint Flags' activate on contact, and will respawn Sandman there after death
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Respawned with full Sand
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Located after challenging segments
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Spikes cause instant death when touched, regardless of the current Sand amount.
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Are used in tandem with enemies to make tense platforming challenges
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(drawn by me)
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Blue Buttons are connected to a nearby obstruction, which stepping on deletes to allow progress
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Locating these buttons, often guarded by enemies, creates a metriodvania style progression
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Gold Buttons destroy the final obstruction blocking the level's exit, and can only be activated when no more enemies remain
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Are present in both levels
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