Soggo Zito

Break free. Defy your fate.

ROLE : Game Designer, Level Designer, Sound Designer, UI/Level/Concept and 2D Artist, Developer.

CONTEXT : First Year Project - 2023
GENRE : 2D Platformer
PLATFORM : PC
TEAM SIZE : 1
DURATION : 5 months
ENGINE : Unity
ITCHIO : Build.exe

PITCH : In this quirky and flavorful adventure, you play as Zito, a dough from Ziti family pasta living in a cartoonish italian kitchen world, filled with spicy enemies, and salty surprises.

My level design missions:

It Started with a Spark

- Prototype spatial concepts to explore player abilities and core mechanics within controlled environments.

- Shape level spaces from early concept art and narrative intentions, ensuring coherence with gameplay pacing and world-building.

- Integrate gameplay systems organically into the environment to create intuitive challenges, iterating based on internal playtests and design reviews.

gameplay situation ideas
[background image] image of unique furniture craftsmanship for a furniture store

Gameplay and Immersion
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- Craft immersive environments and gameplay to make players feel like a pasta navigating a colorful, cartoonish Italian kitchen.

Designing Cartoon Spaces

- Design and conceptualize an entire vintage Italian kitchen environment.
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- Led playtesting sessions to refine gameplay, identify bugs, and implement fixes.

image of past event highlights (for a gaming and entertainment)
[background image] image of unique furniture craftsmanship for a furniture store

My level design tasks:
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- Layout design
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- Blockout creation & spatial rhythm setup
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- Gameplay scripting (enemy behavior, logic events, interactions)
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- Playtest coordination & feedback integration
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- Level art
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- Iterative tuning based on testing & gameplay metrics
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Narration. Concept. Prototype. Playtest.

Design process
Map
Ennemies
image of park map (for an amusement park)

How to feel like Zito?

For the player to really feel this sensation of being a baked dough, the character has been thought as a 2D ragdoll. As Zito has the ability to lie down and be able to hang objects from the tip of his head, it was necessary to adapt the collision of the body to each frame based on the position of the mouse or joystick.
In addition, to allow Zito’s body to expand, there is a rupture of the joint between the head and the body. This distance has been ramped to a maximum to avoid collision bugs with the environment and too many visual artifacts.

My level building missions :
- Build all the level design game based on sketches and blockouts, using game-ready 2d assets.
- Set up an atmosphere to support gameplay readability, highlight navigation paths.
- Implement code and fix bugs
My level building tasks :
- Asset Integration
- Prop and Asset modeling
- 2D Material Creation & Adjustment
- Level building

Feel like Ziti

The idea behind this project is that the player embodies a ziti, an anthropomorphic pasta who rebels and seeks freedom. To achieve this, the player navigates through the kitchen, aiming to reach the window and escape.The game challenges player agility as they sneak around, sparks their curiosity to explore, and tests their skills against ennemies.
The absurd and whimsical side of playing as a pasta (Zito) who dreams of freedom, brings a humorous and light-hearted tone. The gameplay becomes even more fun when Zito's abilities are activated : he can stretch and stick to obkects, turning into a living grappling hook. Thanks to his flexible body, the player'll be able to bend and squeeze into the smallest nooks of the kitchen.

Moka Pot

Zito can latch onto certain objects using the tip of his head, most notably, a moka pot.
Once attached, this iconic Italian object becomes an extension of his body. It allows the player to break specific elements in the environment to escape blocked situations, and can also be used to hit enemies along the way.
The moka pot acts as both a tool to break specific elements and a weapon to defeat enemies.

General Map
Level 1
Lasagna Arena
Level 2
Mama Arena

Map

Linear and Scroll Horizontal
Platforming    |    Boss    |    Platforming    |    Boss

Level 1

In the first level, players are introduced to the core mechanics through a tutorial. They learn to control Zito, a ragdoll-like dough who moves, jumps, and bounces like wet pasta. The level covers basic gameplay, including using the tip of Zito’s head to hit enemies or interact with the environment, for example: creating a bridge to cross a gap.
Players also discover the moka pot, a key mechanic that acts as an extension of Zito’s body. It can be used to break obstacles, hit enemies, or be thrown and retrieved. This level gradually introduces the first enemies and traps, setting the tone for the challenges to come.

Lasagna Arena

The Lasagna Uncle is the first boss Zito faces, and players must defeat him to continue their journey toward freedom.

Level 2

In the second level, the player continues Zito’s journey toward freedom, overcoming obstacles and enemies along the way.
The level design offers multiple paths, allowing players to choose how they navigate through the environment.

Mama Arena

Mama is the mother of Zito, is the last barrier between him and the open window, the final step on his path to freedom.

Elbow Macaronis

The Bad, the Bent and the Boiled.

image of a relaxing restaurant waiting area (for a japanese restaurant)
Elbow Macaronis always stick together and are considered the bottom of the pasta food chain.
They patrol in the two levels within a defined area and don’t actively attack.
However, they deal damage upon contact with the player.

They’re clearly cannon fodder, enemies meant to be easily taken down.

Butterfly Pasta

They flap, they charge, they hurt.

image of a relaxing restaurant waiting area (for a japanese restaurant)
Butterfly pastas, because of their unique shape, see themselves as special and tend to be quite self-centered.
These mischievous pastas won’t hesitate to get in Zito’s way.These butterfy pastas patrol from left to right, and as soon as they detect the player, they charge straight at them without stopping. The play can encounter them in all levels.
They continue their rush to deal damage on contact.

Spiral Pasta

Pastably Insane.

image of a relaxing restaurant waiting area (for a japanese restaurant)
Spiral pasta, from all their constant spinning, have clearly lost their marbles.
These crazy pastas are distant cousins of the Ziti and don’t take kindly to Zito’s mission.
Like the butterfly pasta, the spiral pasta patrol their area in all levels, and when they detect the player, they leap toward them to deal damage.

Lasagna Uncle

The Layered Menace.

image of a relaxing restaurant waiting area (for a japanese restaurant)
Lasagna Uncle is tall, heavy and imposing. He blocks Zito’s path. Despite his size, he looks quite ridiculous with his small arms and oversized feet. All muscles and without brain, the player will have to be strategic and skillful to defeat him.
He follows a simple behavior pattern: he constantly chases the player, always moving in their direction. When it is within range, it sinks into the ground to try to hit the player.
As his health declines, he enters a state of rage, becoming faster and more aggressive in his attacks. The player must balance agility and weapon change (especially using the moka pot) to inflict more damage and defeat this boss.

Mama

Don’t Make Mama Cry.

image of a relaxing restaurant waiting area (for a japanese restaurant)
Mama, Zito’s mother, hardly appreciates the fact that her son wants to leave the nest. Indeed, this mother hen trend does not distract Zito from his goal. He will have dealings with her and will use a stratagem not to hurt his Mama and manage to outrun her.
She has a behavior similar to the Lasagna Uncle but she does not attack since she is just trying to restrain her son.
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