Gerrit Pottmeyer

Overview

Antimatter is a 2D puzzle platformer I created using the Unity 2D game engine, for the Game Systems and Experience Design class in March of 2023. In Antimatter, the player controls two different colored blocks that mirror each other’s movements with opposite gravity. To complete each level, simply connect the two blocks together. Sounds easy, right?

A visual map of required player movements to complete Level 8 (above).

When designing the puzzles for Antimatter, I wanted to slowly teach new mechanics to the player while building on previous skills they’ve learned. Emulating the philosophy of ‘less is more’, each environment is the same size and shape. This posed a unique design challenge, and oftentimes forced me to thoroughly plan out the player’s movements to complete each level.

As the player progresses, the puzzles slowly gain more complexity over time as levers, moving platforms, and even gravity fields are added. Additionally, open-source classical piano music and simple sound effects are used to contribute to the minimalist aesthetic.

Postmortem

While not as visually impressive as other projects I’ve worked on, Antimatter has been a labor of love since its creation. What started as just another class project turned into something fun and enjoyable to play and work on during my free time outside of classes. While the demo is polished and available to download and play, I plan to continue working on Antimatter. I have a lot more fun puzzle ideas and new mechanics to experiment with, and I’m excited to see where this little side project takes me.