Mega Man Level Design Reflection

Mega Man Level Design Reflection

By Mason Barravecchia

Designing my own Mega Man levels gave me a lot of insight into how various gameplay mechanics can impact the player’s experience. In this Blog, I’ll explore the design choices I made, how they affected gameplay, some feedback I received from my peers, and what I would adjust moving forward.

Adding Keys and Doors

Adding keys and doors introduced a fun layer of complexity to my second iteration, requiring players to think fast and strategically. Players now had the option to explore areas less linearly, which added a strong sense of choose-your-own-path type of gameplay. The keys/doors mechanic also created opportunities for player decision-making: should they backtrack for a key or explore a new area? This mechanic fit well, though some players did note that not all paths felt equally rewarding after completion.

Weapons in the Second Level

In the second level, I added the S.Arrow and O.Slider to give players more combat and movement options and ways to approach challenges. I chose these weapons specifically to add more variety and let players handle different types of enemies and rooms with their own unique strategies. This worked well because I got to see multiple players come up with different creative ways to use the abilities they were given.

Impact of Weapons

Adding weapons gave players more control and made them feel empowered, transforming sections that originally felt repetitive. Players now had multiple ways to tackle enemy encounters and explore alternate paths, which made gameplay feel more dynamic. However, balancing the level for these weapons was sort of a challenge. Players who mastered the new weapons breezed through certain areas, making it clear that enemy placement needed more adjustment as well.

Biggest Success: The Feeling of Speedrunning

The mechanics that worked best were the falling platforms and key jumps, which were intended to give the player a little bit of a “pick up the pace” kind of feeling. The keys/doors strung throughout the level fulfilled their purpose, which was to encourage player exploration and add variety to the gameplay. I recieved a lot of positive feedback from the implementation of these mechanics, highlighting the semi-forgiving but still fast-paced feel of the level.

Biggest Difficulties: Balancing Rooms

The most challenging mechanic was balancing the difficulty between rooms, which made things play less smoothly than originally intended. For example, I attempted a moving platform sequence that a few players found irritating, due to not introducing the element before it was bestowed upon the player for the first time in a rougher environment. In the future, I would simplify this section and make sure to introduce it in an easier environment so they can properly learn the mechanics.

Challenge Level and Player Skill

Overall, the level’s challenges were mostly appropriate for the target skill level. Some areas, like the moving platforms and changing spikes, could use some adjustment, but combat and exploration challenges were much more balanced with the final iteration. Most players expressed that it provided just enough of a challenge to be engaging without being too overwhelming.

Ideas for Next Time

Next time, I would work on simplifying some of the level’s more harder areas to optimize the player’s experience. I would also add more signs towards the end of the level where there were multiple routes to explore, and figure out a way to make the challenge/secret rooms more rewarding after completion.

Flow and Circulation + Conclusion

The level’s flow was mostly smooth, with checkpoints positioned to provide players some relief after the tougher sections. Adding keys and other mechanics like key/power blocks did slow down the pace, but allowed for a more puzzle-like immersive feel. For my second iteration, the critical path wasn’t always obvious or linear, but elements like ladders and corridors helped lead the player back to the core path.

In summary, designing these Mega Man levels taught me a lot about balancing difficulty, exploration, combat, rewards, and pacing. The feedback from players was valuable, and I have several ideas for improvement. Moving forward, I’ll make sure the path is clearer, add more appropriate rewards for harder sequences, and balance new mechanics carefully to keep the player experience as smooth and engaging as possible.