Guardião da Floresta

Project overview

Guardião da Floresta is a short 3D puzzle-platformer prototype developed in Unreal Engine 5 for a university course on mechanics and balancing.

The prototype was created from a game jam-style theme based on possession. The player explores a small forest environment while interacting with simple mechanics designed around puzzles, platforming, and progression.

The project was developed solo and served as a practical exercise in building a complete playable prototype with a clear beginning, middle, and end.

My role

I was responsible for the full development of the prototype, including gameplay programming, game design, and level design.

My work included:

• implementing the main gameplay mechanics;
• structuring the player interactions;
• designing the level flow;
• organizing challenges and progression;
• adjusting pacing and difficulty;
• testing the prototype;
• preparing and publishing the PC build on Itch.io.

Project goals

The goal of Guardião da Floresta was to create a small but complete prototype that explored a specific mechanic within a playable level.

Since the project was made for a course focused on mechanics and balancing, the main focus was not only implementing features, but also understanding how those features affected player rhythm, challenge readability, and level progression.

What I learned

This project helped me practice scope control in a solo development context. I had to make decisions about which mechanics were essential, how to organize obstacles, and how to keep the experience understandable within a short play session.

It also gave me more experience with level design in Unreal Engine, especially around pacing, challenge placement, and iteration through testing.

Result

The final result is a short 3D prototype published on Itch.io as a PC build.

The project remains a useful study in rapid prototyping, puzzle-platformer structure, and how small design decisions can affect balance and player progression.