One Way Out

Overview

One Way out is a 2D sidescroller co-op narrative game made using the Unity Game Engine for our Game Design 3 module. The game takes place on a Victorian-era steam engine which is travelling through the dark forest. The players take on the role of a man and a young boy who are trying to reach the end of the train. The deeper they travel, the more infested the train appears with ghouls and dark monsters. Each player can only carry a single item to repair switches and drive away the monsters using a lamp. Teamwork and an understanding of the mechanics is necessary to complete the game.

My role in this project was being the level designer, narrative designer and secondary artist. It was a lot of fun using the environmental props to tell a story. When making this night-mare train, I constantly asked myself how much darker we could make it.

Responsibilities

Level Design

Designed the layout of the train
Designed how puzzles would work
Populated the train with props

Art

Created several environmental assets

Narrative Design

Wrote the narrative of the game

Level Design

There was some difficulty when designing the levels for One Way Out at first. The players could only move in a single direction. They could not jump over obstacles and there was constantly a wall of darkness chasing after them from the other end.

In order to make the game engaging, we decided to add puzzles and traps that forced both players to work together. Players would have to fix doors or keep them open using switches. One player would keep the door open, while the other went to the next switch, giving both players time to pass through.

Team work was an important consideration when designing the traps. Black tendrils would burst out from the ceiling and trap a player. They could only be freed if another player came up and shown the lamp at them. This ensured that players kept close together and taught them the dangers aboard the train.

Much of the level design was done using Figma, where grey boxing was carried out before being transferred to Unity.

Narrative

One of the main references I used when designing the narratives was Snow Piercer and Knives out. The theme of reaching to the end to get to the bottom of a mystery stood out to me. Our game would follow the same principle as players would solve puzzles and ward off monsters with a lonely lamp to reach the end. The deeper they went into the train, the environment would tell a story. Writings on the wall, abandoned dining carts with fresh food and butcher stalls all served to paint a bleak and gloomy picture.

The monsters themselves sold the idea that the train was a nightmare. There were eyes on the wall, pulsating black tumors and hands that shot down from the ceiling that would trap the player.

However, we added a twist to the game. When the players reached the end of the cart, they would find a duplicate of themselves. When both sides met, a message would display on how the players have been tricked and caught by the dark monsters.

The game is actually a representation of the characters tormented mind. The more they try to run away from their demons, the more futile it is. The only way to escape from your fears is to turn around and face them. The true ending of the game is actually at the beginning. If the players turned around and rushed into the oncoming darkness, they have faced their fears and a winning message will show instead.