Level 5
I will tell you at the end
Level 5 introduces the final mechanic of the game, the Fieldable Cubes.
NEW MECHANICS
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Fieldable Cubes
DESIGN GOALS
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Introducing the basics of the Fieldable Cubes and their uses.
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Teaching players some medium difficulty applications of the Fieldable Cubes.
PLAYERS LEARN
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With the help of Fieldable Cubes, players can create Gravity Fields where there are none.
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Using Fieldable Cubes to get to unreachable areas.
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Using Fieldable Cubes to attract other cubes.
The difficulty increases, and players shouldn't pay for it
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Level 5 marks the end of the easy-medium difficulty puzzles in Gravitas. Harder puzzles meant letting players make more mistakes without letting them find themselves in an unsolvable situation. To accomplish that we reintroduced the box-spawners as a way to restore boxes' positions, which let players try different solutions, without worrying about getting stuck.
The box spawners allow player to return boxes to their original position.
Mind the gap
The first puzzle is trivial for people familiar with the Fieldable Cubes. For first time players it is challenge, since they have to figure out how to cross a gap when there is no fieldable surface on sight.
A dangerous pit
In this area players have to do something very similar to what they did in puzzle one, but this time over a longer gap. This puzzle makes sure that players have internalized the basic functionality of the Fieldable Cube, and are ready for the advanced puzzles.
The Fieldable Cube
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Before getting to harder puzzles, we wanted players to learn that Fieldable Boxes are "movable Fieldable Surfaces" in disguise. To that end, the second puzzle of Level 5 makes players cross a laser pit, withhout having a Fieldable Surface on the other end. Players soon find out that they can only cross the pit by, somehow, creating a Fieldable Surface on the wall in front of them.
The pit puzzle makes sure that players understand the basic functionality of the Fieldable Boxes before progressing.
A puzzle to think
Puzzle 3 is as challenging as it is rewarding. Its difficulty comes from the fact that it combines most of the game's previous mechanics, including lasers, box-surfing, and glass-breaking, and that it asks players to figure out a new use for the Fieldable Cubes.
A different mindset
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Puzzle 3 changes the way players approach puzzles, by showing them that puzzles are becoming more about thinking and less about just trying. This puzzle requires both boxes to be on very specific locations, in order for the players to be able to cross to the other side of the laser barrier. The puzzle requires some thinking, and prepares players for the last challenges of the game.
It is highly recommended to stop and consider different options before moving any of these two boxes. Any other approach leads to tears.
The glass box
The last puzzle of the level lets players relax after the experience of puzzle 3. Its interesting layout, where the exit is completely surrounded by glass, makes it a fun puzzle to solve.
