Figure it Sprout
Figure it Sprout is a grid based puzzle game created for the Critical Thinker Game Challenge, sponsored by Jennifer Ann's Group. Designed to promote critical thinking skills, the game encourages players to strategically place plants on a grid while considering mechanics and interactions.
Figure it Sprout is a puzzle game I developed in 2023 with a team of three. As the sole designer, I created 31 levels and 16 unique plant mechanics. In addition to design, I served as the producer, managing team tasks, asset lists, and communication with Jennifer Ann’s Group, the non-profit sponsor.
In the game, players strategically place plant cards on a grid to reach each level’s point goal. Each plant has unique interactions—for example, Lemongrass gains points for other plants in its row, while Alfalfa doubles points for plants in its column. The challenge lies in planning the order and placement of cards to maximize scores across 31 progressively complex levels.
For Figure it Sprout, I created each level with a clear purpose: introducing new mechanics, developing them through gameplay, challenging player assumptions, and testing understanding before moving on to the next concept. To support the design process, I created detailed documentation outlining each level's objectives, player assumptions, and how these assumptions could be subverted or reinforced. I also developed a progression map that tracks the introduction of new plants, mechanics, and interactions, highlighting when earlier mechanics are revisited or challenged. This tool helped me identify hiccups in the game’s difficulty. Using it, I could determine whether challenges arose from missing prerequisite knowledge or insufficient practice, allowing me to adjust levels to maintain a smooth learning curve.
Level Design
Each level on the Level Design Document has a short description on it's place in the game. The Progression Chart shows when new mechanics and techniques are introduced and the levels in which they are used. For Act 1 (pictured above), various techniques and plants are introduced, with level 10 being a check of understanding before players are allowed to move onto new levels.
Iterative design was a key part of developing Figure it Sprout. At first, I believed puzzle games needed to be very hard and thought players would understand the mechanics as easily as I did. This led to levels with steep difficulty spikes, which frustrated players. I also was against adding a hint system, thinking it would take away from the challenge of the game.
After talking with my professor, I realized that difficulty isn’t just about being hard—it’s about keeping players engaged without causing frustration. Together, we identified the key factors that affect a level’s difficulty: its size, the number of cards, the complexity of mechanics, players’ preconceived assumptions, and the number of logical steps a player needs to make to solve it. This led me to think about levels not just individually, but their context as a part of the whole game.
Throughout development, the hint system evolved based on playtesting feedback. Initially, hints appeared only after players failed a level multiple times, but many avoided completing levels when failure was clear, meaning hints never appeared. To address this, we made hints always available and placed the first few plants permanently. However, this restricted players from testing new solutions, so we adjusted the system to reset hints when the level was reset, providing more flexibility.
Iteration
During early playtests, I made note of where players ran into issues and what those issues might be caused by. Hints would help, but I wanted players to be set up for success in earlier levels, so if many of them were having trouble with a new mechanic, I would make sure to introduce it clearer earlier in the game. Hints just made the game more accessible.