Dino Pals
- caderboden
- Jun 2, 2025
- 4 min read
Updated: Oct 23, 2025
Engine: Unreal Engine 5
Genre: Adventure, Puzzle
Project: Demo
Job: Puzzle & Level Designer, Programmer
Dino Pals is a Puzzle and platformer in which you are trying to make you way back home by solving the hurdles along the way and working with others who also got into a similar situation.
In 2023, I created this with the time limit of a few days to show off at ECGC (East Coast Gaming Conference). While I was only able to achieve a single level before my deadline I felt the aesthetic of the game ended up turning out well and I got many positive comments on the game.
Video
Pillars
The 3 Pillars I decided on for this project was to focus on:
Puzzles
Cute Dinosaurs
Story
Level Design Process
Sketch
During the design process of this project I didn't fully understand the purpose and importance that a sketch can have in the level design process. Due to this, I neglected making a sketched draft of this level and instead just jumped straight into the engine.
Rough Draft
The first Dinosaur that you would play as, was a velociraptor, so it main focus was to jump higher then the other characters would. As jumping was the main focus, I figured a platform centered puzzle would be the most appropriate level for the character. After a few drafts I chose this picture as the starting point.
Environmental Details
This level is meant to have a very sad atmosphere. The character has just split up from his family and has no idea on how to get back. To portray this feeling I felt the best setting would be a gloomy environment including rain, forest, and dark tinted lighting.
After adding the texture and rain, I began filling the level by implementing assets in which the player will use when traversing the level. These helping fill the level to a fair extent.
Foliage
The last part of the level design process was adding the foliage. While the assets helped take up the inner part and obstacles of the level, the foliage helped cover the surroundings and ground to add a greater aesthetic to the level.
Puzzle Design/Walkthrough
Platformer: Ancient Tablets
For this puzzle, in order to open the cavern to the next area you must locate and step on the 5 platforms.
The first platform is difficult to miss as it is directly in front of the player. Like every puzzle, a starting visual or hint is always a good way to tell the player what the goal will be. After this piece you are met with a left and right path that each direct toward one of the other platforms but are not visible immediately to the player.
If you take the left path you will be directed toward a large rock that a platform exists on the other side. Once stepped on, the middle light will be activated on the cavern. As you arrive on the other side you will also see a log that will allow the player to reach the higher platform.
As you climb the log you and jump further up the mound, you are met with the next piece. Additionally, you are shown the position of the third button. If step on it will light up the back left light on the cavern placing you half way through the puzzle.
The 4th puzzle piece requires the player to jump across a few broken trees in order to reach the hill in the distance. Once you activate this platform it will light up the back right light leaving the player with one platform left.
The last puzzle piece would be the most tricky. To arrive to the start of the path to the last puzzle you either go down the right path in the beginning of the level or you can jump off and head north from the last platform. To get to the last location of you must first jump to the highest point of the hill near the trees. Proceed to jump across them to reach the platform atop the other hill. I think this was the cleverest part of the level as all other trees
you cant jump on so it causes the player to wonder where the last piece could be.
Now that all the lights are glowing, the cavern rises for the player to move to the next level of the game.
Project Management Process:
For Dino Pals, I didn't encounter many issues in the process, but with every one of those problems came a solution at worst temporary. I recorded them and how I fixed them in the table below:
Problem | How I fixed It |
Unreal Engine 5 felt somewhat foreign as I had only used Unreal 4 prior to this. | - Spend a few hours every day looking over the engine to locate what I could. - Searched Unreal Forums - Approached Peers |
Whenever I tried to export the project it would only export one level. | I decided the show off my project through the engine as a temporary fix until I could export it write which I only discovered much later. |
My friend who I was trying to turn this into a large project with didn't really communicate or invest much time into the project. | I attempted to communicate with my friend to see how much he had done but had seen no progress since a certain point. Do to this I decided to just complete one level that looks great enough to show off. |
Additional Covered Content
Rain Programming
Going into the Niagara system was a hurdle at first, though I found that the creation of rain is much easier then I initially anticipated.
Animation
I debated on how to make the Dino be able to animate well. Though I could create a personal animation through the use of blender I attempted to use Mixemo as my first option. After many riggings I was able to create an animation that looked good for a prototype.
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