Secrets of Light — Puzzle for Level Design
Puzzles are an essential aspect of level design because they shift the player’s focus, providing engaging activities and new challenges. A well-designed puzzle shouldn’t be too easy or overly difficult; it needs to strike a balance that keeps the player interested. This project represents my original idea for a light-based puzzle mechanic, which I explored through eight different sketches for basic level layouts. The mechanic can be further expanded by introducing additional elements and adding hazards, such as traps, to increase the challenge and keep the experience dynamic.
Stage 1: Preparation
The player encounters a closed door, which can only be opened by solving a puzzle. A source of white light creates a beam, which changes color when passing through colored lenses. The player must direct the light beam of the correct color to the corresponding receiver to complete the puzzle and gain a reward, allowing them to progress further in the game.
Puzzle Elements:
Light Source: Creates a white beam.
Lenses (Primary Colors):
🞿 Red — turns the white beam into red.
🞿 Blue — turns the white beam into blue.
🞿 Yellow — turns the white beam into yellow.
Prisms: Triangular in shape, they can,
🞿 Combine two beams to create a new color (e.g., red + blue = purple).
🞿 Split one beam into two, allowing the player to direct light in different directions for more complex puzzles.
Mirrors: Change the direction of the light beam.
Color Receiver: Requires a beam of a specific color (red, blue, yellow, purple, orange, or green) to activate a mechanism, which opens the door or moves the player forward.
Lenses (Primary Colors):
🞿 Red — turns the white beam into red.
🞿 Blue — turns the white beam into blue.
🞿 Yellow — turns the white beam into yellow.
Prisms: Triangular in shape, they can,
🞿 Combine two beams to create a new color (e.g., red + blue = purple).
🞿 Split one beam into two, allowing the player to direct light in different directions for more complex puzzles.
Mirrors: Change the direction of the light beam.
Color Receiver: Requires a beam of a specific color (red, blue, yellow, purple, orange, or green) to activate a mechanism, which opens the door or moves the player forward.
Color Combinations:
If the beam passes through all three primary colors (red, blue, yellow), it becomes white.
If the beam already contains a color and passes through a lens of the same color, the beam remains unchanged.
Primary Color Combinations:
🞿 Red lens → red beam.
🞿 Blue lens → blue beam.
🞿 Yellow lens → yellow beam.
Combined Colors:
🞿 Red + blue → purple.
🞿 Red + yellow → orange.
🞿 Blue + yellow → green.
Three-Color Combinations:
If you combine purple, orange, or green with the missing color, the beam turns white.
If the beam already contains a color and passes through a lens of the same color, the beam remains unchanged.
Primary Color Combinations:
🞿 Red lens → red beam.
🞿 Blue lens → blue beam.
🞿 Yellow lens → yellow beam.
Combined Colors:
🞿 Red + blue → purple.
🞿 Red + yellow → orange.
🞿 Blue + yellow → green.
Three-Color Combinations:
If you combine purple, orange, or green with the missing color, the beam turns white.
Setting and Atmosphere
The Temple of Solara, the god of light and the sun, is hidden deep in the mountains and has been abandoned for many centuries. Its walls are cracked, the domes have collapsed, and many decorative elements have been stolen or destroyed. Despite this, the temple still holds the power of light and ancient secrets
Architecture (Exterior):
The temple is built in the style of ancient Indian temples, with round domes and arches made of white stone. Once shining, the stone has now darkened and is covered with moss. Translucent stones, embedded in the walls, once allowed sunlight to pass through, creating beautiful light patterns. However, many of these stones have been knocked out or covered with dust, allowing only occasional beams of light into the hall.
The main hall rises above the rest of the structure with its walls and dome. Beams of light penetrate through the cracks in the walls, casting magical shadows and adding a mystical grandeur to the temple, even in its ruined state.
Interior:
The temple halls have retained their structure despite the destruction. High walls are covered with ancient carvings that tell myths, but only fragments are visible due to the passage of time. In the center of each hall is a complex system of mirrors, lenses, and prisms, which serve as the key to solving Solara’s Light Puzzle.
The temple is built in the style of ancient Indian temples, with round domes and arches made of white stone. Once shining, the stone has now darkened and is covered with moss. Translucent stones, embedded in the walls, once allowed sunlight to pass through, creating beautiful light patterns. However, many of these stones have been knocked out or covered with dust, allowing only occasional beams of light into the hall.
The main hall rises above the rest of the structure with its walls and dome. Beams of light penetrate through the cracks in the walls, casting magical shadows and adding a mystical grandeur to the temple, even in its ruined state.
Interior:
The temple halls have retained their structure despite the destruction. High walls are covered with ancient carvings that tell myths, but only fragments are visible due to the passage of time. In the center of each hall is a complex system of mirrors, lenses, and prisms, which serve as the key to solving Solara’s Light Puzzle.
Story and Narrative:
Each room in the temple reveals a new story, presenting a separate fragment of the larger tale. By solving the puzzles, the player gradually restores the lost narrative about Solara, other gods, and the ancient civilization. These fragments, pieced together, form a complete picture of the world’s mythology, making the temple not just a place of trials but a space for exploring ancient legends.
I would also like to share the reference and mood board (combined into one) that I assembled while creating this puzzle
Reference and Mood Board a tight mood board combining:
🞿 Ruined domes & arches pierced by dramatic sunbeams.
🞿 Glowing amber-veined stone and translucent minerals as lens/prism inspiration.
🞿 Reflective pools & carved rock reliefs to weave in natural elements.
🞿 Color-coded light cues drawn from The Witness and Myst for clear puzzle language.
🞿 Cinematic shafts of warm amber light contrasting cool grays and muted greens.
Each room in the temple reveals a new story, presenting a separate fragment of the larger tale. By solving the puzzles, the player gradually restores the lost narrative about Solara, other gods, and the ancient civilization. These fragments, pieced together, form a complete picture of the world’s mythology, making the temple not just a place of trials but a space for exploring ancient legends.
I would also like to share the reference and mood board (combined into one) that I assembled while creating this puzzle
Reference and Mood Board a tight mood board combining:
🞿 Ruined domes & arches pierced by dramatic sunbeams.
🞿 Glowing amber-veined stone and translucent minerals as lens/prism inspiration.
🞿 Reflective pools & carved rock reliefs to weave in natural elements.
🞿 Color-coded light cues drawn from The Witness and Myst for clear puzzle language.
🞿 Cinematic shafts of warm amber light contrasting cool grays and muted greens.
Light Puzzle
The player manipulates light beams, directing them through lenses and prisms to obtain the correct color and direct it to the receiver built into the temple’s walls. The walls with receivers are colored in the shades corresponding to the required beams, serving as a visual hint. Until the puzzle is solved, the walls appear dark and empty, with fragments of the story remaining hidden.
Once the player solves the puzzle and directs the correct beam to the receiver, the walls begin to glow from within, coming to life. The light gradually fills the entire room, revealing the full story that tells the history of the world and the gods, which was previously hidden. The “wow” effect is achieved as the light slowly spreads across the walls, making the ancient carvings bright and alive.
The next four levels become more challenging for the player as new elements are introduced. At the end of the fifth level, a hint is provided for the next one, as the player will encounter the mechanic for the first time where mixing all three primary colors turns the beam white. There may also be an additional hint within the sixth level itself.
Once the player solves the puzzle and directs the correct beam to the receiver, the walls begin to glow from within, coming to life. The light gradually fills the entire room, revealing the full story that tells the history of the world and the gods, which was previously hidden. The “wow” effect is achieved as the light slowly spreads across the walls, making the ancient carvings bright and alive.
The next four levels become more challenging for the player as new elements are introduced. At the end of the fifth level, a hint is provided for the next one, as the player will encounter the mechanic for the first time where mixing all three primary colors turns the beam white. There may also be an additional hint within the sixth level itself.
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Conclusion
This pipeline is the result of my experience and many iterations. It’s not universal, but it works. Every designer can adapt it to their style and project needs. The key is to think systematically — each step impacts the next.
I hope this guide helps level designers — beginners and experienced alike — structure their process and focus on what matters: building engaging, meaningful, and memorable worlds.
I hope this guide helps level designers — beginners and experienced alike — structure their process and focus on what matters: building engaging, meaningful, and memorable worlds.
Thanks for your attention!
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© 2025 Niko Timo
nikotimo11@gmail.com
