Today we’ll have a look at the level design process in Umami.

Umami is a rhythm platforming game. The basic gameplay revolves around the player’s avatar, which moves automatically from left to right. The player needs to pick up notes that are synchronized to the music, while he controls the avatar by jumping. Jumping can be used to reach new platforms, pick up coins, activate switches or jump springs and defeat enemies.

In a lot of platform games the level designer uses a bottom-up approach to level design. The basic gameplay systems are in place and the player needs to get from point A to point B.

In Umami, a lot of the level design has to be balanced around the music of the level. If the music were created specifically for a level, the level designer could get the musician to create just the kind of music he needed, but when he’s working with licensed music it’s a different story. With licensed music the designer has to build the level around the music, and not vice versa. This presents some interesting challenges, and it also makes level design for Umami a fairly unique process.

The design philosophy for a level in Umami is a top-down design process. The designer listens to the soundtrack for the level while sketching out ideas for what the player should be doing at key points in the music. The level then needs to facilitate for those actions. The bottom line is; the music drives the level design process, not the other way around!

For example, during the verse of one of the songs we wanted to fling the player into the sky, so we set up some jump springs at these points with cool rewards at the top of the jump. This worked out pretty well, it gives players a reward for following the music, but it stills leaves them in complete control of their avatar. If they want to take a different route, that is entirely possible.

For an interesting look at top-down design, check out Mark Rosewater’s article about designing Magic: The Gathering cards based on flavor, as opposed to beginning with a game mechanic.

That’s all for today! Stay tuned for a new “Behind the scenes”-feature next week!