Project Description
Core Gameplay of Memory
A game developed by Loki Games Studio in the memory game genre.
Gem Memory is built around the classic mechanics of memory games: flip cards and find matching pairs. But to make the experience more engaging, we introduced special cards with unique conditions. For example, the “Web” card only allows interaction with a neighboring card that has already been revealed.
Gem Memory is built around the classic mechanics of memory games: flip cards and find matching pairs. But to make the experience more engaging, we introduced special cards with unique conditions. For example, the “Web” card only allows interaction with a neighboring card that has already been revealed.
Short Information
Name: Gem Memory
Genre: Hyper-casual puzzle (Memory)
Engine: Unity 5
Platform: Web games
Devoloper: Loki Games Studio
Genre: Hyper-casual puzzle (Memory)
Engine: Unity 5
Platform: Web games
Devoloper: Loki Games Studio
Links
Design Process
Key Level Design Principles
Before diving into level design, I defined a few core principles that form the gameplay foundation:
🞿 Levels can include any combination of game cards, including special ones.
🞿 Players earn between 1 to 3 stars depending on the number of points scored. These stars are later used to unlock cosmetic upgrades.
🞿 Points are awarded for finding pairs and for any remaining unused moves at the end of the level.
🞿 Levels can include any combination of game cards, including special ones.
🞿 Players earn between 1 to 3 stars depending on the number of points scored. These stars are later used to unlock cosmetic upgrades.
🞿 Points are awarded for finding pairs and for any remaining unused moves at the end of the level.
Difficulty Curve
One of the main challenges was to achieve a smooth difficulty progression without overwhelming the player. Key goals included:
🞿 Gradually introducing new mechanics to give players time to learn.
🞿 Alternating between hard and easy levels to maintain rhythm.
🞿 Designing challenging levels that encourage using bonuses and in-game currency.
🞿 Ensuring each difficulty spike feels fair and predictable.
🞿 Balancing complexity with clarity to avoid frustrating younger players.
🞿 Gradually introducing new mechanics to give players time to learn.
🞿 Alternating between hard and easy levels to maintain rhythm.
🞿 Designing challenging levels that encourage using bonuses and in-game currency.
🞿 Ensuring each difficulty spike feels fair and predictable.
🞿 Balancing complexity with clarity to avoid frustrating younger players.
Adding easier levels to let players feel progress and enjoyment.
To maintain balance, I divided the levels into sets:
🞿 Small sets (1–3 levels):
Introduce simple mechanics, like a new bonus.
🞿 Large sets (5–7 levels):
Introduce complex mechanics and their combinations.
To maintain balance, I divided the levels into sets:
🞿 Small sets (1–3 levels):
Introduce simple mechanics, like a new bonus.
🞿 Large sets (5–7 levels):
Introduce complex mechanics and their combinations.
Each set started with simpler tasks and progressively became harder. I also introduced four difficulty levels:
🞿 Easy
🞿 Medium
🞿 Hard
🞿 Very Hard
🞿 Easy
🞿 Medium
🞿 Hard
🞿 Very Hard
Skething and Planing
Designing Level Geometry
When designing levels, I focused on making them visually clear while avoiding repetition. One of my key principles was not to repeat geometric layouts in consecutive levels. If a successful pattern was used once, a similar one wouldn’t appear until many levels later.
This approach helps maintain a sense of novelty and makes each level feel unique. I experimented with several layout styles:
🞿 Symmetrical levels — easy to grasp, help players orient faster.
🞿 Chaotic layouts — increase difficulty as they’re harder to memorize.
🞿 Special zones — divide the board into distinct areas with separate logical patterns.
🞿 During playtesting, I closely observed how quickly players understood level layouts. If there was confusion, I adjusted the design to make geometry more intuitive.
Simple paper sketches helped me quickly visualize layout ideas, which I then recreated and refined in Unity.
This approach helps maintain a sense of novelty and makes each level feel unique. I experimented with several layout styles:
🞿 Symmetrical levels — easy to grasp, help players orient faster.
🞿 Chaotic layouts — increase difficulty as they’re harder to memorize.
🞿 Special zones — divide the board into distinct areas with separate logical patterns.
🞿 During playtesting, I closely observed how quickly players understood level layouts. If there was confusion, I adjusted the design to make geometry more intuitive.
Simple paper sketches helped me quickly visualize layout ideas, which I then recreated and refined in Unity.
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I always start with sketches on paper.
Calculating Level Parameters
Beyond visual structure, levels had to be balanced in terms of moves and point requirements to earn stars. I used a formula that considered:
🞿 Size of the game board
🞿 Number of special cards
🞿 Planned difficulty level
This formula helped determine the optimal number of moves and points needed for 1, 2, or 3 stars.
All gameplay parameters were organized in a Google Spreadsheet, including move limits, score thresholds, and star requirements — available for review as part of the project.
🞿 Size of the game board
🞿 Number of special cards
🞿 Planned difficulty level
This formula helped determine the optimal number of moves and points needed for 1, 2, or 3 stars.
All gameplay parameters were organized in a Google Spreadsheet, including move limits, score thresholds, and star requirements — available for review as part of the project.
Google Spreadsheet
The Level Editor
To streamline level implementation, we created a custom level editor in Unity.
Writing documentation for the editor
Creating UI/UX sketches for the interface
The editor made it easy to transfer levels from paper drafts into the game and perform balance adjustments.
Summary
Working on Gem Memory allowed me to:
🞿 Develop a clear and efficient level design pipeline, from initial sketches to final implementation
🞿 Build a structured difficulty curve and balanced progression system tailored to a diverse audience
🞿 Design a custom level editor and a data-driven balancing framework for moves, score, and star thresholds
🞿 Conduct multiple rounds of playtesting, iterate based on feedback, and polish level geometry and flow
🞿 Write clear and maintainable technical documentation, including a structured in-game tutorial experience
🞿 Collaborate across design, art, and development to align game feel, theme, and accessibility
This project was a valuable experience in hyper-casual level design and helped me refine my creative and analytical approach to building engaging, scalable gameplay content.
🞿 Develop a clear and efficient level design pipeline, from initial sketches to final implementation
🞿 Build a structured difficulty curve and balanced progression system tailored to a diverse audience
🞿 Design a custom level editor and a data-driven balancing framework for moves, score, and star thresholds
🞿 Conduct multiple rounds of playtesting, iterate based on feedback, and polish level geometry and flow
🞿 Write clear and maintainable technical documentation, including a structured in-game tutorial experience
🞿 Collaborate across design, art, and development to align game feel, theme, and accessibility
This project was a valuable experience in hyper-casual level design and helped me refine my creative and analytical approach to building engaging, scalable gameplay content.
Thanks for your attention!
© 2025 Niko Timo
nikotimo11@gmail.com
