Corporate Ladder Inc. was created in just under four weeks during the Winter 2025 Gamejam hosted by Collège Lasalle Montréal with the theme of "Back To Square One". The game is a single-player, light-hearted and not so serious puzzle platformer.
Genre: Puzzle Platformer
Engine: Unreal Engine
Roles: Lead Game Designer, Narrative Designer, Programmer
Play it now on itch.io: Corporate Ladder Inc.
I designed the overall game mechanics as well as the mechanics used in the puzzles (push/pull, portals, mixing ink to create keys, having a keypad with a password, etc.)
I designed and programmed the mechanics used by the Portal Levels
I wrote the script of the game as well as all the dialogues between the CEO and the NPCs met in the game
I designed and programmed the logic that switches button prompts on screen based on if the character is using Keyboard + Mouse or a Controller.
Portal Levels puzzles and mechanic
The player needs to figure out what key needs to be created to unlock the portal
Different ink vials are scattered around the level
Synthesizing the dye will 3D-print a colored key, the whole process is straight-forward and easy to use
Pick-up the dye
Drop it in front of the synthesizer
Activate the 3D-printer
Pick-up the key and try it out
Wrong combinations are possible and will play an "error" sound cue while dropping the correct key will activate the portal
Using the same logic, puzzles get slightly harder
Using different color dyes, the player needs to "mix" some of them to create different colors
In the example above, the player needs to find a way to reach the yellow dye and mix it with a red dye to create an "orange" key (since no orange dye exists in the level)
This slight buildup was hitting just the right challenge and enticement during playtests as players explored the level to find the correct dye to proceed further
The last challenge was a curveball as all the dyes were needed to create the color "black" and open a black-hole portal
See Corporate Ladder Inc. in action!