It’s Tuesday once more, which means it’s Behind the Doors time!
Welcome back everyone to the second post, this time featuring a long lost ruin forgotten by time.. Valley of Kings.
And while you may not be familiar with this specific door, you can watch your favorite streamers play it exclusively right now. We present to you Valley of Kings, a level from the Ancient Ruins category.
“A little magic can take you a long way.“
Roald Dahl
Fun fact: Valley of Kings derives its name from the Valley of Thracian Rulers in Bulgaria, where our studio is based. Well, we are based in Sofia, not the actual Valley..
In this level, the iterative process was King and our team had the task of brainstorming ideas based on the already made prototype. The process of our 3D artist creating a prototype to having a finished level design is a strenuous one highly dependent on the imagination and teamwork of everyone involved… but that might be a story for another time...
"We want a level with ruins"
The first prototype on the left shows the literal representation of “We want a level with ruins”. And yes you guessed it right, it didn’t work out so well. As a whole, the prototype seemed empty, barren almost. The frame of the door was crumbling, it seemed like the only thing keeping it together was the door blocker, which in its distinctive style seemed out of place. The statues looked cool, that’s for sure. Even though they were simple placeholders, the team needed a direction and the statues were definitely the right one.
"The Intermediary"
Moving on to prototype number two (center) you will notice there is one thing missing - the crumbling door frame is gone and in its place is an intricate frame design with circular symbols, which defies the laws of gravity. Needless to say, it didn’t make the cut. The statues are now two identical hooded figures holding swords - simple and yet very effective at helping the team come up with original ideas.
"And the winner is.."
Prototype number three (right) proved to be the winning design in the race. After the second iteration the team felt satisfied with the placement and overall silhouette of the door. At that point, the details started going into their respective places - where to put the puzzles we chose and which mechanics fit into the general aesthetic of the level and category.
The final design of Valley of Kings was inspired by a few ideas.
Firstly, we included a runic cipher seen in the steps below the door. The actual runes were a mixture of Elder Futhark, Proto-Bulgarian and Anglo-Saxon writings found in real-life locations around the world.
Secondly, the magical blue crystal and its interactions were inspired by tabletop games and fantasy art designs. Without spoiling the level too much, we can safely say that an unexpected and beautiful twist should be on your radar when you press Play.
And finally, the winter scenery. Winter is a big part of this category as you will see from both this level and Frozen Fate. We want to present a sense of desolation with these doors - they were forgotten by both time and man. And don’t get surprised by the bright green leaves seen around the statues and ruins - they are not accidental.
Thank You for reading this week’s Behind the Doors. Don’t forget to join our Discord to get notified about all our future posts and announcements, as well as chatting with the team and community!
If you enjoyed our demo and want to see more from Doors, check in with your favorite puzzle streamers, because plenty of them are already playing an exclusive 15-level version! (And Valley of Kings is one of them!!!)
