Portal 2 Bounce Chamber
This was the first level I designed using the Portal 2 level editor. DOWNLOAD IT HERE
The central idea behind the level was to take advantage of the Aerial Faith Plate mechanic, since I believe that building an entire level around these objects can result in a fun and dynamic experience, given that they naturally convey a sense of speed and excitement.
The level is divided into three depth layers. The first layer is the player’s starting area. The second layer is where most of the gameplay takes place, the main space where the player will spend most of their time. The third layer serves as the final goal, it not only contains the exit, but also the cube required to access that exit.
A crucial aspect of level design, especially in first-person games, is the player’s first view of the playable space. When designing this level, I aimed to present as many gameplay elements as possible in a logically arranged layout across the screen. In the image below, you can see how the elements are color-coded: lights in red, Aerial Faith Plates in yellow, buttons and the cube in green, and the exit in blue.
If we analyze the level using the layer diagram shown above, we can see that in the first layer, the player immediately encounters a window illuminating an Aerial Faith Plate in front of them, subtly indicating that it’s important for progressing through the level. In the second layer, the most noticeable feature is the light on the right, which guides the player’s attention toward the button below it, showing how to open the exit door. In the center of the screen, there’s another Aerial Faith Plate and a button. These elements aren’t meant to strongly stand out, and they don’t need to, since the player will naturally reach them shortly after starting. Finally, in the third layer, we can see both the cube needed to complete the level and the exit itself, each marked with lights that guide the player’s focus.