Lingua Fraca

An adventure puzzle game created by a team of 32 students at the University of Utah. The player takes on the role of Asa, a teenage girl living on the outskirts of Osaka, Japan. Led the full project lifecycle as Designer-Producer, transitioning into a Level Designer role to create a player-driven environment inspired by suburban Osaka. Through intensive research and iterative playtests, I elevated player engagement from a low 3.5 to a high 8, restructuring the layout from a linear street to a block-based grid with prominent visual signifiers for improved navigation and memorability. This work reflects live-service design fundamentals-rapid iteration, data-backed tuning, and empathetic clarity-delivering a memorable and seamless traversal experience for diverse audiences.

Game Type

Puzzle Game

Date

August 2024- April 2025

Location

Salt Lake City, Utah, US

Link

Steam

Role

Level Designer and Puzzle Designer

TRAILER

PERSONALIZED WALKTROUGH

CREATION PROCESS

PROTOTYPE PHASE

From brainstorm to paper to first tests

Ideating & Game Design: Organized brainstorming sessions as the game design lead, collaborated in the creation of the Game Design Document/ Design Sheet with the leads from all departments.
Prototyping and Testing: Owned paper prototypes, conducted early systems testing in the engine, and iterated on level design.
Production and Task Management: Took on production responsibilities by creating and assigning tasks in Trello, ensuring the design department stayed aligned with goals.

ALPHA PHASE

Balancing authenticity with playful fantasy

Real yet Fantastic: Our vision holder emphasized an authentic Osaka setting, while the design team pushed for fantasy. I was responsible for striking a balance through layers of communication.
Paper Level Design: Collaborated with the team to create level layouts based on the Suburban Osaka area, iterating and combining ideas to finally generate a paper level design that I owned.
Grey Boxing: Created a Grey Box for the first pass of the level in Unreal Engine, bringing to life the paper prototype and incorporating elements requested by the narrative and gameplay design teams.

BETA PHASE

Iterating puzzles, fixing flow with feedback

Puzzle design: Created 33% of the puzzles now found in the game, using tools designed by the engineering team during earlier phases, followed by communicating with the art team to get assets in place for the puzzles.
Playtests and Shortcomings: Conducted playtests on the final level and identified navigation issues caused by Osaka-inspired street layouts, leading to targeted design adjustments for a primarily American audience.
Hint System and Puzzle Ques: Collaborated with the narrative team to design a contextual hint system, resolving loose ends in puzzle design and improving player problem-solving clarity.

GOLD PHASE

Final refinements that boosted engagement scores

Remodeling Level: Redesigned the final level with straighter pathing and clearer visual signifiers, boosting player engagement scores from 3.5 to 8.
Quality Assurance & Debugging: Performed QA testing and oversaw player playtests to ensure game stability, identify bugs, and maintain high-quality standards.

BEHIND THE BUILD

I began the project as Designer–Producer during Ideation, later shifting into a Level Designer–Producer role in Pre-Production. By Production, I pivoted back into a broader designer-producer role, leading the Heart Puzzle design and managing meeting documentation to keep everyone aligned.

RESEARCH & INSPIRATION

The goal was to replicate the feel of a quaint Osaka neighborhood. Having never been there, our team did extensive research into suburban layouts, aesthetics, and player movement patterns, identifying elements that made these spaces feel authentic.

PLAYTESTING & FEEDBACK

During early playtests at the University of Utah’s Division of Games, the level scored a 3.5/10 for engagement, with feedback pointing to confusing layouts and weak signifiers. Small tweaks only moved the needle slightly, so we made the decision to rework the level drastically.

REDESIGN & ITERATION

We shifted from a traditional Osaka street layout to a more Western block-based structure, introducing stronger signifiers and landmarks to help navigation. These changes made the space easier for our largely American playtesters to understand and remember.

PLAYER ENGAGEMENT: 3.5 → 8.0

OUTCOME

The redesigned map balanced cultural authenticity with accessibility, demonstrating how iteration and player feedback can reshape a project from underperforming to highly engaging.