Celeste Mod

Level Designer

Apr 22

Written By Mitchell Grossbach

UCSC Short Puzzle

I modded a Celeste level sequence themed around UC Santa Cruz that ends with a puzzle.
- Used Celeste’s Everest Ahorn mod during a 30 hour solo project
- Noted interesting mechanics throughout the campaign of the game
- Brainstormed and sketched designs
- Scaffolded rooms to teach the player
- Greyboxed and conducted playtests
- Iterated based on tester feedback
- Implemented an art theme based on the campus of UC Santa Cruz

Greyboxing, Playtesting, and Iterating

The final puzzle I came up with required multiple mechanics that I needed to teach the player beforehand.

Greybox Beginnings

An open space, a simple swap block, platforming with swap blocks, and the swap-jump

First Completed Greybox

Adjustments for awkward and tedious spots, but room 4 failed to require the necessary skill gate

Greybox 2

More adjustments all around to clarify room goals, but the final puzzle was beatable in unintended ways

Final Greybox

The mechanics tested well for each room, so art implementation was up next

Art Implementation

Using only assets available from the game, I used cement tiles for the brutalist architecture, wood and stone tiles for the old 60’s buildings, and grass, vines, and plants to represent the redwood forest it’s situated in. Added a secret room where playtesters had least been exploring.

Finished Product

See my full design document below (with gameplay descriptions for each room and detailed notes about level geometry placement and purpose). The level can be downloaded through the Everest mod with the button below. Follow the instructions under “File Info” if you are unfamiliar with the mod.