Perspective Shift
Perspective Shift is a game jam project organized by LaSalle College. The jam’s theme was to explore the current sociopolitical and environmental issues of our world.
With a strict time limit of just 18 working hours, we designed a first-person parkour game where players must switch between two realities to overcome platforming challenges. One world represents a clean, futuristic utopia, while the other depicts a decaying dystopia— metaphorically emphasizing the need to navigate between extremes in order to make progress.
Watch the demo video
Project informations
Team size: 5 persons
Duration: 18 hours over a week-end
Engine: Unreal Engine 5
My roles:
Game designer: Shared responsibilities with one other team member.
Programmer: Sole programmer for the entire project.
Game design
Movement mechanics
Sprint – Activates automatically after the player moves forward for a brief time without stopping. This system encourages players to plan ahead, take a few steps back before big jumps, and maintain momentum—fostering a fluid, parkour-style movement loop.
Double Jump – Grants one extra jump while in the air. Mastering the timing of this second jump is essential for reaching the farthest platforms and chaining movements smoothly.
Climbing – If the player lands near the edge of a climbable platform, holding the jump button allows them to grab the ledge and pull themselves up. This forgiving mechanic enables last-second recoveries and enhances the freedom to experiment with bold, acrobatic routes.
World switching
Switch Buttons – Placed at key locations by level designers, these allow players to toggle between two alternate versions of the same level.
Dual Realities – While both versions share similar layouts, each has specific environmental differences that can open or block paths—such as missing platforms, shifted geometry, or altered obstacles.
Puzzle Navigation – Players must carefully observe and compare both worlds to determine which version grants access to their next objective. Progression relies on using the right world at the right time, turning spatial awareness into core gameplay skills.