The Last Dance
2023
A 3D puzzle platformer exploring themes of grief, regret, and womanhood through a young dancer who recently passed. Completed for a 15 week class project with a focus on environmental storytelling.
Our Goal
“The Last Dance” focuses on using narrative and environmental storytelling to elicit heavy emotions from its players.
Highlights
A simple rundown of what I worked on in this project.
Role: Game Designer, Unity Engineer
Engine: Unity
Team Size: 2
Timeframe: 10 weeks
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Designed base systems for gameplay, such as push/pull, 2D movement, and climbing.
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Crafted narrative beats and their timing in-game to enhance storytelling elements and match them to environment.
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Assisted in the layout and creation of level design, traversal, and puzzles.
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Implemented and stylized user interface, including start menus and narrative pop ups to fit theming.
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Implemented all game mechanics, such as climbing, movement, push/pull and finalized level designs in engine.
Trailer
Challenges
Storytelling Through the World
One of our biggest challenges was crafting an engaging narrative and finding the best way to communicate it through the environment within our strict timeframe. We didn’t want to rely solely on narration. Instead, we wanted to create moments where players could immerse themselves in the world and uncover the story on their own.
With our limited time and resources, we focused on weaving the overarching narrative of the dancer’s life through the environment and levels. Her journey begins in a graveyard to hint at her death. Each following segment represents a different stage of her life from her time on the stage, her life in the city, and her growing stage fright. Each area was designed to guide players through her last journey and encouraging them to piece together her story through the world around them.
Mechanics That Guide, Not Distract
Another key challenge was designging mechanics that complemented the environment rather than distracting the players from it. We wanted the world and the protagonist’s narration to remain the main focus so we avoided mechanics that would compete for attention.
To achieve this, we focused on simple yet meaningful interactions that directly engaged with the environment. Pushing, climbing, and avoiding the light were all designed to encourage the player to observe the world around them and think about how to navigate them. By tying the mechanics to the environmental storytelling, we allowed players to stay immersed in the world. This gave them the much needed space to piece together the narrative through exploration.
Important Takeaways
World Becomes Story
Storytelling in games can take on many forms, but the environment can be one of the most powerful ways to immerse players in the narrative. When the world itself reflects the story, every artistic and design choice naturally falls into place to create a cohesive and engaging experience.
By tightly integrating our narrative with the environment, we created levels that felt meaningful. Every detail reinforced the story and allowed players to engage with it naturally rather than through simply exposition. This approach not only deepened immersion but also created a more memorable and impactful experience.
Mechanics With Purpose
Game mechanics are more than just gameplay. They are powerful tools for reinforcing the game’s core themes and narrative. Designing mechanics that align with the game’s goals is essential since even the most interesting mechanics can feel off if they conflict with the intended experience.
An important lesson was recognizing that sometimes simplicity is more effective in storytelling. Overloading the game with complex mechanics can distract players from its more emotional core. By focusing on mechanics that directly supported our narrative, we made sure that every interaction felt meaningful and contributed to the overall experience.