Trace 2 - Level Designs

World 1 - GROVE

Tutorials for learning how to walk and draw platform lines on the screen.

Using dotted lines to teach the player to draw creatively.

Later levels require the player to analyze the terrain and find their own path.

Cool spike mazes!

World 2 - RUINS

New mechanics/enemies are demonstrated at a safe distance from the player's starting location.

Basic mazes created by using enemies as progress gates.

World 3 - WILDS

These enemies push the player around instead of causing damage. Because of this change, these new mechanics are taught by having them interact with the player's starting position.

Cubecat hordes!

Players can jump onto a Thwomp and ride it back up to its starting position.

By drawing a line above their head, players can shorten their jump animation. This allows them to run into the shortcut passage below the Spheal as it mirrors their jump.

World 4 - BLOCK

World 4's reduced drawing resolution opens up a lot of possibilities for highly controlled maze puzzles.

A few levels create a different challenge by using terrain that doesn't line up with the player's block grid.

World 5 - MAGMA

The player has to draw additional lines to guide the falling rocks into a location where they can explode safely.

These levels may look easy, but if the player draws a simple path to the exit the exploding rocks will roll down their lines and hit them.

World 6 - CLOUD

Tutorials for looping screen borders; one for each axis.

Breaking level design conventions by placing walls in the center.

Looping borders are great for creating interesting pathfinding mazes!

World 7 - PULSE

Cool laser patterns!

One of my favorite designs - increasingly dense grids of neon squares.

Three cycles of enemies can make the player analyze the level more closely before moving.

World 8 - HAVEN

Reverse gravity playgrounds.

Challenging wind tunnels based on VVVVVV's Gravitron.

More cool mazes!

Physics rocks are more dangerous now that they spawn from two sides of the screen.

Changing the art style to add extra drama for the game's finale.