Chapeau:
Save the Show!

A 3D Puzzle game set inside the magic hat of an inept Illusionist

Overview

Chapeau: Save the Show is a 3D Puzzle game set inside the magic hat of an inept Illusionist.

The player takes on the role of his assistant, a bunny, and must solve puzzles in order to deliver the items he needs to continue the show from inside the hat.

Throughout the game, the player will unlock different abilities based on the art of illusionism.

Team: I had the pleasure of working with 12 talented people (6 designers, 2 concept artists, 3 3D artists and
1 programmer).
- Because the programming department was understaffed, I had the opportunity of helping with the technical side of the project. This was made easier thanks to the other excellent departments.

Objective: create a game with interesting puzzles, using simple and elegant mechanics that can flourish in numerous ideas and are easy to implement.

My role

Gameplay & Technical

Designer

Genre

3D Puzzle

Platform

PC
(Unity)

Dev. Time

2 Months

Clips from the game

What I did

I collaborated with the design of the game concept and the game pitch.

I developed the concept by cultivating the vision of the game; from the style, to the mechanics and level design.

I co-designed all the game mechanics, covering both gameplay and technical aspects.

Then, I used them to provide ideas and scenarios, designing puzzle concepts that made meaningful use of them.

I prototyped in C# many of the game’s mechanics, helping with the initial playtesting.
- Early testing proved to be essential in evaluating whether the puzzle dynamics were engaging and enjoyable.
- Some of my code also ended up shipping in the release version of the game.

I designed and implemented the game's UI.

Development reflections & Workflow

Puzzle Mechanics

After choosing the theme of the project, we delved deep into the world of stage-magic, studying references (I've personally watched countless shows) and brainstorming many mechanics and ideas.

This phase was particularly intense for me, as I took on the responsibility of evaluating, testing and refining ideas.

I believe we found 3 main mechanics that, in their simplicity, enable the design of intriguing puzzles, engaging dynamics, and inspired the creativity of our level and puzzle designers.

They were all inspired by the art of illusionism and it's most iconic instruments:

The Wand: can grab object from afar, levitate and move them freely.
- It can also be used to move large books and clear the passage.
- As countless previous titles demonstrate, this kinf of mechanics has endless potential for puzzle design.

The Cup: can duplicate or merge specific object.
- It allows the player to duplicate useful items, or merge smaller items into bigger ones (used for platforming!).
- Playing with size, finding duplicates and uses for object proved to be very engaging.

The Handkerchief: can change the suit of Playing Cards.
- It was used for puzzles were specific Playing Cards (which are grabbable objects) had to be placed in order to activate specific portals for moving through the level, or were specific suits combinations were needed.

The Wand

Here used to move books.

The Handkerchief

Here used to change the suit of a card.

Alongside these mechanics, we then developed:

Movable books: used as moving puzzles and for platforming.

Keys and Locked Doors.

"Woman in Thirds" puzzle: the player must locate and assemble three boxes, each depicting a different third of a woman, to complete the figure.

Dice: the player can change the number shown on the top and place them into altars to solve numeric puzzles.

Observation: limiting our scope to these core mechanics allowed for better polish and sparked creativity through limitations, rather than spreading our efforts across numerous shallow features. This approach proved particularly valuable given our technical constraints.

UI Design

Our game needed a very minimal UI (and this was great for me as this isn’t my main area of expertise).

I wanted to create a simple, yet captivating UI, referencing the game's theme.
I’m especially pleased with the slider, made from a magician's hat and handkerchiefs - it turned out really well.

I followed a stardard workflow:

I started by defining informations to display and their hierarchy.

I then designed the relevant flowcharts and mockups.

I proceeded by communicating our design needs to the art department.

I then implemented the final result in game.

For the starting menu of the game I wanted to do something special.
So I designed and implemented an interactive interface with dynamic lights and camera movement:

Level Design

One last thing I want to highlight is how we approached the level design of Chapeau.

I strongly advocated for the structure of the levels to reflect the setting, to give the feel of being inside the magician’s hat. My idea was to design concentric levels stacked vertically, each one rapresenting a different level (with an item to get), that progressively become more and more difficult.

Was this a challenge? Yes.

Did this made the implementation of levels more difficult? Yes.

But this decision also taught me something: if you really believe in an idea, go for it (or at least try!).

After careful consideration, concluded that the design and technical challenges that this decision posed were not impossible to overcome and we proceeded with my idea.

What's important is that we quickly learned how to work smoothly and efficiently even with these restrictions.

Beyond that, the decision inspired more creative level design, where different rotations within a floor meant different approaches and challenges.

I think our stubbornness and drive to challenge ourselves ultimately gave our project a unique and distinctive identity. It also proved to be very motiving for the team. I’m proud of that.

Chapeau: Save the Show!