Aedrian Salazar - Post Meridiem — 2D Game Design & Visuals

Overview

I created animated visuals and gameplay for a song to be featured in a top rhythm platformer game, Geometry Dash. This project was made from July – December 2022 (5 months), with plenty of iteration, feedback and playtesting. This level was featured on the front page and amassed over 100 thousand plays.

For the climax, I explored the 'in-between' of space and sky by incorporating recognizable elements from both—asteroids in the background for 'space'; scaffolding structures mimicking the form of tall transmission towers for 'sky'. The composition is united by concentric circles framing the sun and the moon.

Narrative

My foundational concept of this level was exploring the idea of 'rising.' I interpreted this literally, creating atmospheres inspired by altitude. I went from using colour palettes of the deep ocean to sparkly crystal caves, to the climax, which is above the sky as the sunlight rises towards mid-afternoon.

Rising Action — Inspired by the ocean's deep blue hues and bioluminescent fish

Inspired by crystals in caves; open spacing and lights foreshadow the climax

Skills

– Game design

— Level design

– Motion design

– Platformer design

– Programming

– Visual storytelling

– Bugfixing/Playtesting

Narrative 'peak' presented literally via altitude — you're above the clouds, seeing the sun, moon and constellations

Transition to daylight with callback motifs (glowing blocks, patterns, pulsing diamonds) to heighten the peak before end

Conclusion — 'deconstructed' look and dark, faded and hollow atmosphere

Challenges

The main challenge was ensuring a smooth experience for all kinds of players. While I had free reign with the visuals, I had to make sure that the navigation was obvious, making sure that platforms, obstacles, and decorations were fully distinguishable from each other. I also had to make it accessible to players with low-end devices, encouraging me to optimize the visuals. I added a 'low-detail mode' which only kept the most important visual elements so all players could play it.

Endscreen — floating letters in a starry setting above the planet's atmosphere

Details of interactable platforms — pulsing symbols, constellations, propeller

Inspiration from other video games

Hollow Knight — Temple of the Black Egg

GRIS — Denial

Tetris Effect: Connected

No Man's Sky

Takeaways

Being my most ambitious work before finishing high school, the months of iteration and feedback refined my design intuition. What's unseen is the constant experimentation of ideas that didn't make the final cut, as well as refining my designs by removing certain details – 'less is more.'

It is worth noting that 'Geometry Dash' is not a professional design software but a child's game that happens to have a very extensive level editor. However, this gave me the foundations to start learning the Adobe Creative Suite in order to gain more valuable experience in the creative industry.