Catography

Introduction

• The main objective of this project was to combine the progression and mechanical structure of collectathon platformers with the slower pacing and exploratory interactions found in cosy games.

• The prototype took place on a single island designed around relaxed exploration and environmental interactions inspired by games such as A Short Hike. Players could engage with simple traversal mechanics, interact with physics-based obstacles, trigger scripted environmental events, and speak with NPCs distributed throughout the world.

• The level design focused on supporting readability and relaxed pacing through visible landmarks, compact exploration spaces, and lightweight platforming challenges intended to maintain engagement without disrupting the atmosphere.

The problem

• Playtesting sessions highlighted several issues with the balance between the project’s cosy and collectathon elements:

  • While environmental interactions were positively received, players described the experience as lacking rewarding moment-to-moment gameplay. The completion of the island map through landmark discovery functioned as a long-term objective, but failed to create a satisfying short-term gameplay loop.

  • Movement mechanics were generally considered fluid and enjoyable, but players expected a broader moveset capable of supporting more mechanically demanding traversal challenges.

  • Additionally, the relaxed approach to progression and difficulty resulted in unclear expectations. Players perceived the project as a traditional platformer, but the gameplay pacing and challenge structure did not consistently support that expectation.

  • As a result, the prototype was frequently described during testing as having an “identity crisis”, where the design intentions behind both genres were competing rather than complementing one another.

The solution

• Based on playtesting feedback, the project direction shifted toward positioning the collectathon structure as the primary gameplay pillar, while the cosy elements became supportive systems reinforcing exploration and atmosphere.

• Since traversal was consistently praised during testing, the movement system was expanded with additional platforming mechanics such as double jumping and wall jumping to support more mechanically engaging level design.

• Two collectible Yarn currencies were introduced to strengthen moment-to-moment rewards, improve player motivation, and support environmental guidance throughout the level.

• The island layout was redesigned around a clearer difficulty curve, introducing more deliberate progression and increasingly demanding traversal challenges to maintain long-term engagement.

• Cosy interactions remained part of the experience, but were repositioned as optional rewards tied to exploration and objective completion rather than acting as the primary gameplay driver.