Star Gardener
Overview
Star Gardener is a poetic single-player exploration game where your goal is to collect the last traces of existing pollen in order to revitalize it and make it bloom again. By spreading this pollen thoughtfully, you can move forward in this lost world and learn more about the journey ahead.
You are a light-moving robot astronaut who has crash-landed on a desolate, lifeless planet. But don't be discouraged, this unknown world is only the start of a journey in which you will be the only one to decide which path to take. This dead planet will be the cradle of a new world: yours.
Genre : Exploration
Plateform : PC
Engine : Unreal Engine 5
Team size : 17
Role : Level Design & Game Design
Store :
Responsabilities
The project is my fourth year final project, made in six months on Unreal Engine 5.
During pre-production, I participated in the development of the main game mechanics as a game designer. I also started preparatory work for Level Design.
Once production had started and the movement mechanics became more interesting, I focused full-time on the map as the main Level Designer.
Game Design :
- Designed core gameplay mechanics : main game loop, progression and plant interaction
systems.
Level Design :
- Led the full Level Design cycle : from paper prototype to the final level (blockout, POI layout,
gameplay).
Game Design documents & preproduction
At the beginning, our main movement's inspiration was Death Stranding. We wanted to have a heavy character who lost pollen by moving around. But due to lack of time and to allow the player a smoother movement feeling, we opted for a faster movement, inspired by skating.
I also worked on the research and proposal of Level element to diversify and make fun the player’s exploration. We selected a few in the final game.
Level Design evolution
The first iteration of Level Design that I made took place in the first planned area of the game: canyons. The player had a first version of the move in skating. In the map, there were many confined pathways where primarily walking was required, with a broader expanse that encouraged skating through.
Because the skating mechanics had to be at the center of the player’s movements, I decided to take back the map from scratch.
It contains 3 main areas :
- The Hub (South) : A closed space, designed to give the player time to understand the basic mechanics of the game.
- The Desert : When the player finishes the tutorial, a door opens and a large playing area is revealed to the player. He can move around freely to revitalize him. At the bottom, there are buttons to activate to unlock the rest of the game.
- The Canyon (East) : This closed space has an « puzzle » to unlock the end of the game.
After the creation of the block-out and some adjustments to the map, I placed assets of the team of artists to build a coherent world. I also created some landmarks and plants in breadcrumbs to catch the player's eye and created a route for the player without forcing him on his choice.
