Stage Fright
Not all video-game levels are created easily.
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Imagine chess, but instead of knights and pawns, youve got combat mechs and techno beetles.
But youre not trying towin.
Its a level that more than earned its place atNo.
The final level specifically was not, to my memory, called out.
Itwasnoteworthy for us that the final experience blended well with the rest of the game.
As a longtime tactical RPG fan, I was surprised by how challengingInto the Breachwas compared to similar games.
So ultimately, its not something that seems to have hindered the game much.
The puzzlelike nature of the game doesnt leave a lot of breathing room when it comes to difficulty.
Theres a dangerous cliff between this is challenging and this is unsolvable and impossible when it comes to puzzles.
Perfecting the general balance to make the puzzles consistently work is definitely our biggest accomplishment.
We dont have that logic to protect the player.
How do you go about designing a really tough level?
Or an easy one?We rely on an excessive amount of internal developer testing.
I think thats a perfect description of what were trying to accomplish.
There are other ways to make decisions meaningful, but a high difficulty is quite reliable.
Into the Breachhas four different difficulties, letting players pick the experience thats right for them.
We designed that difficulty only for the new advanced edition that was released last summer.
More skilled players in the community can still reliably beat it but, personally, I struggle.
