Health has a significant role in Xibalba’s game design. It’s displayed directly on the equipped object and the player must sacrifice HP (their blood) to use the light beam ability which is essential for moving around and solving puzzles. This mechanic forces players to manage their HP as a resource, which allowed me to be creative with some gameplay elements.
For example, I designed puzzles that require mindful use of the light beam power and being strategic about what to ‘spend’ health on to illuminate. To connect back to level design, this mechanic was also useful for guiding the player gaze more efficiently through environmental lighting, as they couldn’t simply rely on their light power like a limitless torch.
All these concepts supported the following core game loop:
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Navigate the darkness
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Manage your light power
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Solve puzzles to progress deeper into the dark
Using the Light Power sparingly in a dark area.
One of the first puzzles of the game requires the player to use their newly acquired Light Power to reveal hidden symbols on objects.
My original concept was to foreshadow the puzzle and create a small jumpscare with the frightening statuettes. However, because players didn’t see the closed door first, and the statues appeared to belong to the previous room, some of them assumed they missed something and backtracked all the way to the beginning of the level.
The reworked version solves this issue by presenting the door and its puzzle first, then a connected side room contains all the interactable elements. This structure works much better as players understand the objective immediately, and when they solve the puzzle they can clearly see and hear the door opening, making it obvious which way to go.
