10 Perfect Examples Of Level Design In Video Games
8. Tallon IV (Metroid Prime)
Metroid Prime – the fifth
instalment in the franchise – is a first-person adventure, merging exploration
and shooting to create something utterly unique. In the game, players assume
the role of Samus Aran – a bounty-hunter tasked with preventing a merciless
pirate organisation from performing genetic experiments on the surface of Tallon
IV.
The planet – much more than a simple setting – gradually expands as the player uncovers new abilities, allowing them to advance through previously restricted areas as they gain greater access to their surroundings.
Consequently, the entire game is expertly designed, the player growing accustomed to the various locations as they backtrack through certain areas, uncovering secrets as the initially restrictive landscape expands exponentially.
It also contributes to other aspects of the gameplay, requiring the player to reconsider the manner by which they traverse each section, both horizontally and vertically, emphasising again a sense of adventure and discovery.