Puzzle Level Game Designer Test Task
In this post, I will show you my work on a Test Task for a Puzzle Level Designer position in a Hybrid Casual Puzzle Games Company (I will not be mentioning the name of the company due to an NDA).
Before we start, I would like to mention that all the structured material of the Task will be available on a Drive folder whose link can be accessed at the end of the post. Now let's begin!
ASSIGNMENT OVERVIEW
This assignment consisted of two main tasks.
Each task represents a real scenario a designer would handle as a Game Designer and Producer at the company.
Task Summary
- Task 1: Come up with two strong hybrid casual puzzle game ideas and pitch them visually and verbally.
- Task 2: Review an in-production game and provide detailed feedback and improvement suggestions.
Task 1 Statement – Create and Pitch Two Hybrid Casual Puzzle Game Ideas
Goal: The task is to come up with two ideas for new Hybrid Casual Puzzle Games and present them visually and verbally.
Hybrid Casual Puzzle Games Definition: a Hybrid Casual Puzzle Game is a snackable, easy-to-play puzzle game built around a simple main mechanic (like matching, sorting, connecting, or merging), yet with the potential to grow deeper — just like a casual game. It should be accessible for everyone like a hyper-casual title, but with more content, replayability, and polish that give it long-term potential.
To better understand what they were looking for, they gave me a few strong examples from leading hybrid casual puzzle games at that moment:
These examples were meant to guide the direction — not to copy them directly.
Task 1 Results – Fantasy Merge & Color Monsters
I came up with two solid ideas. Fantasy Merge, featuring "merging" as the main mechanic of the game, and Color Monsters, featuring a little bit more than a simple "matching" as the main mechanic. Each one with it's own core mechanics, possible dynamics, charming story and characters, and art style... but sharing the most important feature; THE PROGRESSION!
Both games are very easy to understand and can be played for hours, with many little puzzles for level, they're perfect for playing in "whiles". Built around simple yet popular mechanics, they can be defined as accesible and very scalable, so can be loaded with lots of new content, encouraging replayability over long-term periods of time.
Fantasy Merge is a hybrid casual puzzle game where players run a magical gear shop by merging basic fantasy items, such as swords, shields, and potions... into higher-tier equipment!
Customers (stickman heroes) request specific items in a fixed order, turning each level into a spatial puzzle where managing limited board space is key. As players progress, cursed items and chained requests introduce deeper challenges without breaking the casual flow.
Completing orders rewards coins that can be spent outside levels to upgrade and decorate the shop, providing visual progression and occasional boosters. Easy to pick up but increasingly strategic, Fantasy Merge combines satisfying merge gameplay with long-term progression and replayability.
Color Monsters is a color-based puzzle game built around efficiency rather than scarcity.
Players command an endless stream of warriors, each capable of wiping out all monsters of their color on the front line. Early levels encourage experimentation and free play, while later stages require careful planning as warrior colors appear in fixed sequences and special enemies introduce layered solutions.
Powerful units can become a liability if misused, and smart timing is key to success. Simple to understand, progressively deeper, and highly satisfying, Color Monsters rewards foresight over brute force.
Task 2 Statement – Gameplay Evaluation & Feedback
Goal: This task is to analyze an old early build of a game. The goal is to identify what can be improved / changed to make the game better.
- 🎮 Gameplay Video 1 (Early Levels): Includes the onboarding, tutorial, and initial minutes of gameplay: Early Gameplay.mp4
- 🎮 Gameplay Video 2 (Late Game): Demonstrates the later gameplay with use of boosters, obstacles, and advanced mechanics: Late Gameplay.mp4
Task 2 Results – Feedback Documentation
As the statement asked, I redacted a feedback document, where I compiled the most important areas for improvement and detailed all the aspects that made certain mechanics / features / game feel necesary to be corrected or reworked.
These areas were:
- Core Gameplay & Flow
- Tutorials & OnBoarding
- UI / UX & Readability
- Animations, VFX & Game Feel
- Visual Clarity & Scaling
- Level Design & Progression
- Boosters & Economy
- Bugs & Polish Issues
So, in summary, that would be the Task! Hope this post has helped you in a way or another. If you have any questions, feedback or suggestions, feel free to reach me out via email or LinkedIn, they're all welcome! And REMEMBER, all the complete statements and work done for this Test Task (all the images, video pitches and documentation) will be accesible by clicking the link to the Drive folder, down below.
Thank you so much for your attention and I desire to y'all a Happy Game Designing!