intuitive and simple, like ‘straighten the picture frame’, but later we play with these established rules by turning them on their head; for example, ‘how do you correct a picture frame that is already straightened?’ “We slowly changed the rules on the player, and so we needed the interaction mechanics to be able to gently guide the player in the right direction without being too heavy handed as to reveal the hidden structures at play. For us, this is interesting, and the kind of experience that engages us. We don’t want people to become frustrated, however, so we introduced an interactive hint system and the aforementioned skip option that gives options to the player and makes for a more fun experience.”
show up occasionally and mess with your tidy work. “The cat also provides a reasoning as to why this house is so messy to begin with.” mused Macmillan. “We also introduced multiple solutions to many of the puzzles to challenge the notion that there is one correct way for things to be. We also introduced a skip option in the game called ‘Let It Be’, which lets you have more control over the levels that you play, and the order in which you play them.”
UNIQUE AND COMFORTABLE
When working on designing the full version of A Little to the Left, it was important to everyone at Max Inferno that the game would maintain a feeling of progression without giving in and following a traditional structured, linear plot. It was far more important for the studio to simply keep things interesting for the player. “We wanted the game to be comforting to play, but also to be surprising. We wanted to draw the player in and have the game feel like it’s progressing, but we didn’t want to have to rely on a fixed narrative. Every level is visually unique, and we felt like this brings a lot of interest. “Our puzzles are relatively short, so the player becomes interested to see what is next. At first the puzzles are
PLAYFUL DESIGN
While working on design for A Little to the Left, Macmillan found that rather than looking towards other games for inspiration, she was more influenced by her actions and experiences in her day-to-day life than anything else.
“We were more inspired by our home, our cat, and our own weird ways of tidying up than we were by other games. I realised the other day that the feeling I get when we design these puzzles is the same excitement I get when I’m setting up a scavenger hunt for my nieces and nephews. It’s a childlike playfulness that I hope resonates with people.”.
Although she has always been a fan of puzzle games, Macmillan points to one 1997 video game hit in particular as the one that laid the foundations of her love for the genre. “In terms of games, I was an absolute fan of Riven. It was one of the first games I truly adored, and it really left its mark. I loved the exploration and the environmental puzzles. It is safe to say that it influenced our game; not in any direct way, but it did lay a foundational interest in constructing a world with its own weird internal logic that invites a stranger to try to make sense of. “ When working on an independent game, it came down to some simple rules for Macmillan that we’d suggest all aspiring game developers take to heart: “Discover what motivates you. Know your strengths. Treat people with respect and kindness. Enjoy the process.
54 | MCV/DEVELOP January 2023
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