Super Meat Boy Luck & Death
This was the first level I designed using the Super Meat Boy Editor tool. DOWNLOAD IT HERE
The intention of this level is to take advantage of the conveyor belt mechanic to create fast-paced and engaging gameplay. As I will explain later, the belts are not only an element that adds speed to the level, but also introduce an extra layer of difficulty in how they affect the character’s movement.
To better understand and analyze the level more clearly, I will divide it into four zones.
The first zone serves as a tutorial for the mechanics that will be explored throughout the level. Very similar situations are presented, with variations in difficulty. To begin with, the player is introduced to the horizontal conveyor belt in a safe environment. To encourage the player to jump off the belt, I placed a small ledge; this provides a slight extra boost and demonstrates the level’s core mechanic. In this first room, I also introduce the saws, presenting the danger in a context where they do not yet pose a real challenge. Next, the conveyor belt and ledge structure is repeated to force the player to jump, but this time vertically. To conclude this introductory phase, the elements that actually represent a threat finally appear, and the player must perform the same movements they learned in order to overcome them. The player then reaches a platform where they can rest briefly before facing the next challenge.
This second zone represents an increase in difficulty, with verticality becoming the main challenge. The section begins with a third appearance of the vertical conveyor belt, but this time without any platform underneath to prevent the player from falling. After this section, the level’s collectible appears; the idea is that only the most skilled players will be able to reach it. This is where the additional layer of difficulty mentioned earlier comes into play. To collect the item, the player must have a solid understanding of how the momentum provided by the conveyor belts works, since not every jump allows the player to reach the distance at which the collectible is located. Finally, the player reaches another resting point before entering the second half of the level.
The beginning of the second half of the level is clearly marked by a horizontal jump with larger saws, creating a relatively memorable image together with the salt waterfalls that flood the lower part of the level.
Up to this point, the entire level consisted of upward movement, but this zone introduces a descent to create a sense of symmetry in the character’s overall traversal of the level. The fall, combined with the conveyor belts, increases the character’s speed, demanding greater skill from the player. After this more complex section and before the end of the level, the final rest area appears.
Finally, this last zone is not intended to be a significant challenge, but rather a reward that allows the player to enjoy a more relaxed section. I consider the momentum provided by the conveyor belts to be a particularly fun mechanic, so I decided to make the final ascent entirely based on it.
In this way, if we analyze the “danger level” of each zone, we can observe that the level begins in a safe environment where it is almost impossible to die. It then transitions into a slightly more difficult challenge featuring both saws and bottomless falls. Next comes one of the level’s difficulty peaks, where the player must carefully use the conveyor belts to avoid falling due to the added momentum while also dodging several saws. To mark the midpoint of the level, the player reaches a section with lower difficulty, featuring a few relatively simple jumps. The descending section represents the final difficulty spike, after which the player reaches an easier area that serves as a rest and reward, allowing them to enjoy the conveyor belt mechanics with minimal danger.
To conclude, I would like to review some of the changes the level went through during development. For example, the edges of the ledges were converted into ramps to allow for smoother character movement and to prevent them from becoming an obstacle that interrupts the game’s flow.
The second zone of the level did not originally exist, which made the experience shorter and less engaging. This new section allows the level to offer more gameplay, generating increased movement, dynamism, sinuosity, and challenge.
I decided to move the bandage collectible because it did not represent a significant challenge. In this game, collectibles are placed in such a way that only the most skilled players can obtain them.
The beginning of the second half of the level used to be different; the horizontal jump with the three large saws did not exist. This caused the midpoint of the level to feel less clearly defined, instead blending in as just another section.
The original idea for the falling section had to be modified, since the placement of the saws made the difficulty in that area excessively high. Given how long the level is, I felt that the punishment of having to restart from the beginning due to such a demanding challenge was disproportionate.
Finally, I decided to add elements that clearly indicate where the player should jump. To achieve this, I used cables that form a line guiding the player’s gaze toward the next platform. In a game as fast-paced as this one, it is important for the level to be playable at high speed without sacrificing readability.
After all this work, this is the final result of the level. I believe I managed to achieve a good balance between presenting a challenge to the player while still allowing them to enjoy the movement mechanics provided by the conveyor belts.
