Genre: Precision Platformer
Role: Game Designer, Level Designer, Programmer
Developer: Solo Developed
Team Size: 1 (+ 2 artists)
Engine: Unity 2022
Contribution: 3C's, Levels, Balancing, Boss Fight
Steam Rating: Positive (100%)
Overview
Genre: Precision Platformer
Role: Game Designer, Level Designer, Programmer
Developer: Solo Developed
Team Size: 1 (+ 2 artists)
Engine: Unity 2022
Contribution: 3C's, Levels, Balancing, Boss Fight
Steam Rating: Positive (100%)
Super MeatBoy like
Overview
ReDrop is an open-map platformer where every death spawns platforms and checkpoints for your next life, turning failure into a core gameplay tool.
Levels, shortcuts, and challenges are built around this mechanic, offering freedom, strategy, and emergent play. Smooth, responsive movement and a clear, colorful aesthetic ensure the experience feels tight, readable, and rewarding.
To create a strong precision platformer, I implemented the following:
Walk, sprint, wall jump, and double jump for precise positioning and extended movement.
Quick falls, coyote time, late jumps, and buffered inputs to ensure fairness.
Traps have smaller hitboxes, ledges are larger, and acceleration/deceleration is near-instant for maximum responsiveness.
DESIGN GOAL: Make movement feel frenetic and precise, while keeping death recovery fast so players stay in control and the flow of the ReDrop mechanic is uninterrupted.
Movement Basics
Each death spawns a platform in the direction of the fatal blow:
Platforms are slightly larger than the player, offering landing spots, extra footing, or hazard protection.
They persist until all lives run out and cannot be removed.
Clever placement creates shortcuts or safe paths; careless deaths may block progress.
Platforms are always traversable from the opposite side, keeping movement fluid.
DESIGN GOAL: Turn every death into a meaningful, skill-driven tool, giving players freedom and emergent solutions.
Core Mechanic
Players start with 100 lives, restored by recovery points, with % scaled to area difficulty (Hard Mode adjusts values). Noob Mode grants infinite lives while disabling achievements.
Health & Checkpoints
Checkpoints are player-created by spending 5 health and holding the input for 2 seconds, adding a skill-based risk–reward system that ties directly into the ReDrop mechanic.
The game loop is built around two interlinked systems: health and checkpoints; both tightly connected to the ReDrop mechanic for clear reasons.
The reason checkpoints were reworked was player feedback: they felt too punishing for some and too forgiving for others.
Granting full control to the player creates that “WOW!” moment when they realize they can do what they want, the way they want, shaping fairness within an otherwise unforgiving world.
The reason the life system was designed this way is to create tension through contrast:
every death makes the path easier, yet brings you closer to reset. It is both comforting and stressful, and that moment near zero lives is where players focus and perform at their best.
This section focuses on the design intent behind each level gimmick and how it interacts with the ReDrop mechanic.
While I handled both game and level design, the emphasis here is on systemic choices and how each idea reinforces the core mechanic rather than on layout breakdowns.
An area blending vertical and horizontal mastery. Moving enemies double as traversal tools, rewarding awareness and experimentation.
DESIGN GOAL: Make the world feel alive and create moments like the “Wow, I can climb on those worms!”.
The Mountain
A harder shortcut built around precision. Since lasers burn Redrops, only self-inflicted deaths create safe spots, turning intent into strategy.
DESIGN GOAL: Encouraging players to use self-Redrop while offering a faster route and skill test.
The Lasers
Going Right, Sewers offer a harder, vertical path for experienced players. Toxic drops act as a moving hazard, while Redrop platforms turn deaths into temporary shields.
Going Left, Mines introduces the core mechanics. Spikes teach timing and distance, while moving mine carts act as dynamic platforms. Redrop platforms provide steady footing or stick to carts, preventing repeated deaths.
Tutorials (mine - sewers)
The longest stretch, built around unstable footing and pursuit pressure. Falls are recoverable, but the length creates tension, making checkpoint strategy essential.
DESIGN GOAL: Make the longest area feel tense yet manageable and at the same time frenetic and energetic
The Clouds
The largest and hardest area, leading to the final boss and one of the game’s three endings.
Deadly traps include lances, flying arrows, burning plates, flame turrets, and crushing statues. Each hazard spawns a Redrop on death, letting players manipulate the environment with precision and strategy.
DESIGN GOAL: Ensure the area feels genuinely hard while sparking curiosity about what lies ahead.
The Temple
The MotherShip
The final standard level also hints at future DLC, keeping gameplay fresh and surprising.
Two gimmicks define it: inverted gravity, enabling fast, slingshot-like movement but deadly if misused, and plasma bridges that briefly halt gravity when timed correctly.
DESIGN GOAL: Create a memorable, high-energy climax that challenges players, showcases advanced mechanics, and guides them toward the normal finale or true ending.
Final Boss Fight
The only boss appears at the end of the Temple, leading to the evil ending if defeated. Attacks follow a fixed sequence to reward repetition and learning. A full-restore checkpoint precedes the fight, and it can be skipped to reach the Clouds level, forfeiting the ending.
The encounter features three phases: a brutal opening inspired by Undertale, a second phase with platforms and side flames, and a final phase with a massive red hand slamming the arena. Precision, pattern recognition, and Redrop mastery are essential.
DESIGN GOAL: Deliver a mastery check that rewards learning and consistency, while offering player choice between confrontation or pursuing a different ending path.
The three endings reward players by unlocking Hard Mode, Classic Mode, and visual filters.
Every game area features its own original soundtrack, with the boss fight having a unique track for each phase.
The game also includes 22 achievements, covering modes, endings, and speedruns, most of them playful references to other games.
The options include a Noob Mode with unlimited lives, auto-run, and a cosmetic red crown, alongside major language settings for accessibility.
Every time you die, whether by traps or your own hand (a specific key), a platform spawns in the direction of the fatal blow.
Slightly larger than the player, these platforms provide landing spots for jumps, extra footing, or shielding against hazards. They persist until lives run out and cannot be undone.
Clever use can create safe paths, while careless deaths may block progress or trap the player. Platforms are always traversable from the opposite side, keeping movement fluid and preventing permanent blockages.
Movement in ReDrop is fast, precise, and responsive. Players can walk for careful positioning, sprint, wall jump, and double jump to extend distance and interactions.
Falling is quick for tighter control, while features like coyote time, late jumps, and buffered inputs ensure fairness.
Traps have slightly smaller hitboxes, ledges are larger, and acceleration/deceleration is near-instant for maximum responsiveness.
Even the menu reflects this philosophy, functioning as an interactive space rather than a static screen.
ReDrop Mechanic
Basics
Health & Shortcuts
The health system starts simple: players have 100 lives, with deaths scaling by 1. Restore points recover 20–90% of lives, depending on surrounding particles , ensuring enough health for each area’s size and difficulty (adjusted in Hard Mode).
Collectibles unlock the secret ending, while shortcuts add another layer of choice.
These routes require spending lives, never usable in a deathless run, rewarding skilled players who use the Redrop mechanic strategically.
Checkpoint Rework
The checkpoint system has been reworked for full player control. There are no fixed save points, players create their own checkpoints at any time by spending 5 health, adding a clear risk–reward layer.
Creating one requires holding the input for two seconds, making it tricky mid-air or in combat but still possible with skill.
Strategic placement is key; knowing when to trade health for safety can decide the run’s outcome.
Right side, the Sewers serve as a harder alternative path for more experienced players. The level emphasizes verticality, with wall jumps testing timing and control.
Its main gimmick, toxic drops in fixed patterns, teaches hazard reading. Redrop platforms provide safe footing, making death both a tool and a challenge.
Left side, the Mines introduces players to the core mechanics. Spikes in the first half teach timing, distance, and Redrop use, while mine carts with spiked sides act as moving platforms testing reactions.
Tutorial (Mine - Sewer)
The Lasers
Placed at the center of the map, the Lasers act as both a passage and a test of player skill.
Harder than other areas, it offers a faster route for speedrunners. Redrop changes here: lasers burn platforms, so only self-inflicted deaths create safe spots.
The area’s two gimmicks, permanent or timed lasers that burns the Redrop and conveyor belts, keep movement dynamic, forcing strategic Redrop use and adaptation to a shifting environment.
The Mountain
The area tests vertical and horizontal skills, combining everything learned so far. Its open layout means falling can send players back to the start or down into the Mines.
Three gimmicks define it: giant spiked worms as moving platforms, climbable and wall-jumpable but deadly; smaller frontal worms as temporary platforms; and a river that pushes players downward.
The design introduces moving enemies to make the world feel alive and creates a discovery moment: “Oh, cool, I can climb on those worms!”
Challenge
Solution
Create a movement system strong enough to stand beside the best platformers. It had to feel smooth, fast, and responsive, while avoiding being a copy.
Study Super Meat Boy and Celeste, taking their best elements as inspiration. Combine and refine them into a custom system, less floaty than Super Meat Boy to keep movement tight and unique.
Find a unique core mechanic, because making just another platformer wouldn’t stand out.
We turned death into a tool: each death spawns a platform that can help or hinder, enabling shortcuts, speedruns, or easier play for newcomers.
Competing in an overcrowded genre where clones are easily dismissed.
Break the standard level formula of precision platformers by designing an interconnected open map. Checkpoints and multiple shortcuts highlight the ReDrop mechanic, offering freedom in approach and new layers of challenge.
The main character is bright purple for visibility and personality, with simple yet effective pixel art. Each level features 2–3 Redrop-tied mechanics and a unique color palette, making every stage feel distinct.
Create a clear, recognizable aesthetic where the character always stands out and levels feel unique.
Break the monotony of standard platforming while keeping gameplay fair and engaging.
Add pacing breaks with humor highlighting the player’s “skill issue”, keeping failure fair and tied to player skill. On top of that, we included gimmicks, a boss fight, three endings, achievements, two unlockable game modes, timers for speedrunners, and a “Noob Mode” for newcomers.
Releasing on Steam
Marketing
The Temple is the largest and hardest area, home to the final boss. It presents a sharp difficulty spike and a true challenge leading to the game’s ending.
The level is filled with deadly traps: lances from the ground, fast-flying arrows, burning plates, and frontal flame turrets. At the end, giant statues crush anything in their path. Every hazard spawns a Redrop on death, and moving traps can be stopped by them, making precision and resourcefulness essential for survival.
The Temple
The MotherShip
The Mothership, the final standard level, also hints at future DLC, showing how the game can stay fresh and avoid monotony.
Two gimmicks define it: inverted gravity, allowing fast, slingshot-like movement but deadly if misused, and plasma bridges that activate on timing, halting gravity briefly.
The design delivers a fun, engaging twist at the climax, breaking pacing to keep players hooked. Bright, energetic colors reinforce this shift. The stage ends with a locked door and a ship, leading to the second ending.
Final Boss Fight
The game’s only boss appears at the end of the Temple, leading to the bad ending if defeated. Players must survive and exhaust the boss’s attacks, which always follow a fixed sequence to encourage learning through repetition.
A checkpoint before the fight fully restores health, allowing players to give their best effort. The boss is skippable to access the Clouds level, but skipping forfeits the ending.
The encounter has three phases. The first, the hardest, uses the boss’s strongest attacks upfront, similar to Sans in Undertale, followed by a slower pattern with a final burst.
The second phase introduces platforms and side flames, while the third features a massive red hand that slams the player. Each phase emphasizes pattern recognition, precision, and strategic use of the Redrop mechanic.
Additional Info
The three endings reward players by unlocking Hard Mode, Classic Mode, and visual filters.
Every game area features its own original soundtrack, with the boss fight having a unique track for each phase.
The game also includes 22 achievements, covering modes, endings, and speedruns, most of them playful references to other games.
The options include a Noob Mode with unlimited lives, auto-run, and a cosmetic red crown, alongside major language settings for accessibility.
Check out the other games
Best Player Reviews
ReDrop OST Playlist
