Henry Liu
Game Design and Production
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Penguin Patrol

PENGUIN PATROL (2011)

Penguin Patrol is a charming grid-based puzzle game where you are tasked with rescuing helpless baby penguins trapped on thin ice. Tiles shatter as you move and prevent you from backtracking. Thus, gameplay is centered on plotting the best path forward to grab penguins while leaving yourself an escape route.

I pitched this game originally and became its game director and main level designer on a team of 6. I was in charge of designing the mechanics, special penguins, special tiles, UI, touch controls (for the iOS port), score thresholds, and the levels themselves.

I playtested heavily and kept detailed notes to aid development. That data was crucial in achieving my goals of improving the game and setting a nice difficulty curve.

There are 60 levels that shipped with the original DSiWare game. For the iOS port, we had a designer friend help us out with a set of bonus levels, bringing the grand total to just above 75.

 

SPECIFIC CONTRIBUTIONS

 

penguin mechanics

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Baby Penguin - The first penguin type you rescue. They don’t move or have special behaviors so I can use them anywhere or when tutorializing is important.

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Playful Penguin - The second penguin type you meet runs from you when you get near. They turn after hitting walls or penguins, but can run into water and sink. I use these penguins to create pressure.

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Bratty Penguin - The third penguin type you meet is stubborn and won’t budge until you bring them a specific toy. I use them like locked doors, which can help players prioritize where to go first.

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Fatty Penguin - The last penguin you meet can’t be picked up and must be pushed to the exit. Saving him can create pathing problems in thin ice levels but also chances to block Playful Penguins and yourself from falling into water.

level design

  • Crafted all original 60 levels, which was a mix of tutorials, skill testing puzzles, and fun combinations of mechanics

  • Designed level hazards: water tiles, walls, thin ice, thick ice, and slick ice

  • Playtested heavily and kept notes on level playtimes, gameplay observations, and surveyed difficulty ratings for every level

  • Created progression curve using average difficulty score from the playtests and layering in new mechanics

  • Encouraged multiple solutions where appropriate

  • Tweaked levels to ensure puzzle clarity, fun, and “100%-ability”

touch controls

  • Designed a responsive “virtual d-pad” for touchscreen devices that prioritized changing directions quickly and reliably

 
 
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