Game concept: Jumptator – A physics-shifting platformer

Summarise the idea in one sentence

Every time you jump, the world rotates 90° clockwise. Levels are both a platforming challenge and a jump counting puzzle.

Describe the game in 3 words

Logic-based, rewarding, approachable.

What should players think/feel when playing?

"I finally figured out the correct route to take through this level, I'm so smart!"

What makes it fun?

The mechanic itself is extremely simple and so there's very little barrier to entry, players can immediately start trying to figure out how to navigate levels.

Genre

2D platformer

Platform

WebGL

Story / setting

n/a - right now I'm just interested in the mechanic.

Core mechanic

• Hitting the jump button will cause the player to jump.
• As you jump, the world around you (along with gravity, etc.) will rotate 90°.
• No double jumping, you need to have two feet on the ground.
• Completing a level requires reaching a target gate/platform/door.

Features

• Levels are short and fixed experiences, with a set challenge and solution.
• It's all about the mechanic!
• Level design will punish players for jumping at the wrong time (lots of walls of spikes).
• It will also impact the environment (such as platforms on a fixed axis that move with gravity).
• There could also be unreachable objects, like keys, that need to be moved by rotating the level.

Input device

Keyboard / gamepad

Controls

• Move: Arrow keys/WASD/thumbstick
• Jump: Space/A

What does a 'minimum viable product' prototype look like?

A single level to demonstrate the mechanic!