Body Swap Mechanic

The first ability the player unlocks in the game is the body swap, allowing Rory (the main character) to rearrange their body parts to solve puzzles and communicate with certain citizens.

Body Swap Interface

The toughest design task for the body swap mechanic was coming up with a clear interface for the player. Knowing this would be difficult, the interface was tested early using a paper prototype.

Paper Prototype

Play testers were given the prompt that they would need to complete a task before progressing in the game, then handed the paper prototype. Out of 4 participants, 3 knew to move the main character’s (Rory’s) body parts around to match the silhouette on the right, the other participant attempted to rearrange the body parts of the silhouette on the right. This showed that the concept of rearranging body parts was clear to players, but the interactive area could be more clear.

Digital Prototype V1

The mechanic was retested after being built in engine. Several players struggled when attempting to match the silhouette design. The puzzle was difficult to make out due to the size of art, disruption from the post processing effect, and with seeing 2 Rorys on the screen at once.

Digital Prototype v2

Updates were made to make the puzzle clearer for players. After initiating the body swap mechanic the camera zooms in and frames the puzzle with the UI elements, drawing attention to the affordances and making the puzzle design clearer. In world Rory is hidden to keep them from confusing the players view and to help clarify what the player is goal is. Post processing effects were dampened and a reset button was added to allow players to easily return to a puzzle start state.

Initiating Body Swap

Another usability error with the body swap mechanic was communicating how to initiate it. By play testing early, the problem was able to be worked out clearly.

Digital Prototype V1

The original version of the body swap mechanic was initiated by expanding a shelf menu, then clicking on a button inside that menu. When testing, players struggled to remember how to initiate the mechanic, and the location of the shelf button caused overlapping issues.

Digital Prototype V2

To solve these issues we simplified. When players get within close distance of an object that required the body swap mechanic, a button would appear that could be tapped on, similar to interacting with non-playable characters and other objects in the game. If players wanted to swap Rory’s body parts without being near an object that required it, they could find a dedicated button inside the pause menu.