CUBOID is a 3rd person isometric platforming game designed for current and next generation consoles. The gameplay is a mix between linear and non-linear levels that focus heavily on platforming skills and fast-paced reflexes to properly switch and interact with different sets of world geometry, hazards, and collectable items.

CUBOID is a clumsy program lost in a seemingly endless simulation. There appears to be a path ahead, but it is fraught with danger. The player finds themselves controlling CUBOID in order to escape the simulation one level at a time.

Through the experience and excitement of platforming through a collapsing simulation that is full of hazards and puzzles, a suspension of disbelief is created wherein the player is able to invest in the main character. At the climax of the story, there is a cognitive dissonance established where the player learns the world is not what they previously believed.

The player has access to three sets of colours that can be switched between. One set (black and white) controls the colour of CUBOID itself and allows the player to collect collectables of that corresponding colour. The other two sets (red and blue, green and orange) relate to world geometry and hazards of the same corresponding colours.

When the player swaps between sets, one of the colours is hidden creating the basis for the core gameplay loop wherein the player must utilize quick reflexes and spatial recognition to successfully platform through the levels of the game while avoiding surrounding hazards. In later levels this evolves into 3D puzzle solving where the player must determine how to progress through a segment of coloured blocks using the swap mechanic in order to move forward.

I developed this prototype project to expand both my game and level design skills through the development of a fun platfomer in the Dreams game engine on Playstation. By utilizing standard programming logic in a node based system in Dreams, combined with my own created assets I was able to develop a fully playable prototype for the game. The game is designed to feature twenty unique levels split across four different regions, accessible through the central HUB zone where player scores and analytics are tracked and displayed.

Due to technical limitations within the Dreams game engine, development of CUBOID has temporarily stopped while I work to recreate the game prototype in Unreal Engine 5.