About
Interstate is a custom VVVVVV level made in 2 weeks for the NYU Game Center.
The level features new rooms, enemy patterns, and puzzles.
This was a solo dev project.
Media
Interstate is a Frogger-inspired take on VVVVVV.
10 unique rooms to beat!
Discover your sense of timing—
—and put it to the test!
Process
If VVVVVV is a about one thing, it's about precision platforming.
So when I had a class assignment to design a level for the game, I wanted to explore anything but precision—types of movement underrepresented in the original game.
So when I had a class assignment to design a level for the game, I wanted to explore anything but precision—types of movement underrepresented in the original game.
Shoutout to the VVVVVV editor for making it all possible.
I quickly learned that avoiding precision platforming in VVVVVV is impossible, since it's a big part of what makes the game unique. It's just a matter of how you use it.
But when I first started designing screens, I hadn't reached that conclusion yet. I've included a couple before and after comparisons to show how my designs changed once I did!
But when I first started designing screens, I hadn't reached that conclusion yet. I've included a couple before and after comparisons to show how my designs changed once I did!
Before—
—and after!
The biggest change in my designs, while not included in the images above, was the inclusion of spikes.
Spikes are a necessary evil in VVVVVV, since they're one of the few things that can force player movement. It's easy to wait for the right moment once you've figured out a pattern, but throw some spikes into the mix and suddenly stalling for time becomes a gauntlet that punishes hesitation.
Spikes are a necessary evil in VVVVVV, since they're one of the few things that can force player movement. It's easy to wait for the right moment once you've figured out a pattern, but throw some spikes into the mix and suddenly stalling for time becomes a gauntlet that punishes hesitation.
Before—
—and after!
In the end, the real star of the show was playtesting, since it's thanks to playtesting feedback that I got the necessary kick in the pants to revisit my designs in the first place.
Before—
—and after!
You can watch a playthrough of Interstate on YouTube.
More
