Tax Return
Tax Return Demo Trailer
Game Design Philosophy: The goal of Tax Return is to earn player mastery through demanding but balanced mechanics. Difficulty is present from the very beginning, and the game should be a challenge to the player. That being said, the rules are consistent and learnable, so improvement comes directly from better decision-making and skill rather than dumb luck. Essentially, I designed movement and encounters to support an “awkward to fluent” journey.
As players build skill, inputs become precise, routes become intentional, and the time to complete decreases. Like Souls-inspired experiences, I aim to hook players with challenge, then keep them engaged by making progress tangible. Every failure teaches, and every success feels earned. Because the game is built with speedrunning in mind, I prioritize responsiveness, readable telegraphs, and systems that reward clean execution and confident routing.
Information:
Role: Game Director, Technical Level Designer, Gameplay Scripter
Engine: Unreal Engine 5
Team Size: 10 people
Platform: PC (Steam)
Status: Demo live on Steam
Responsibilities:
– Lead a team of 10
– Designed 10 levels to fill out the demo
– Painted/created levels
– Designed enemies and the boss
– Designed systems
– Gameplay Programming
– Level scripting
Game Pillars:
– Fair Challenge
– Mastery Driven Movement
– High Signal Feedback
– Speed
– Skill Expression
Below is the full breakdown of how I make a level for Tax Return. I have done these steps for all levels that I created.
Level Design
Legend (Hazards)
Design Goals:
– To teach the player about the new hazards in Sector 2
– Ease the player into the difficulty curve that will increase in later levels
Level Design
The image above is one of the level designs that I created for the game. It starts at the green elevator and ends at the red elevator.
Core Mechanics:
– Dash
– Ambush enemy
– On off blocks
– Trap Platforms
Level Blockout
Above is a completed level blockout for Tax Return. It includes floors, walls, ceilings, platforms, spikes, spike respawn points, and hazards. Overall, this is what we call the bare bones of a level. NO ART YET OR LEVEL ASSETS
The top section of the map is where a on off block button is placed. This will trigger the block that is blocking the well. There is also a water cooler in case the player takes damage from the trap platforms.
Then the player takes the fan up the spike well and then platforms up the trap platforms to an on-off block switch. After, the player can do a jump dash to the door and then enter the kill room. The player then hits one more on the off-block button to get rid of the block in their way.
Finalized Art Pass
Above is what a finalized art pass looks like. All background objects and trim are added at this time.
Adding Level Assets
Enemies, watercoolers, moving platforms, and more are all 2D actors that we place on the painted tile map
This is the first kill zone. Kill zones are rooms or areas that house enemies and platforming sections
This is the end of the level. At the bottom of the image, there is a cat. Cats are a big part of tax return and are the main collectible. They are placed in every even level except the boss levels. They are used to unlock cosmetics like hats and pets.