GOOD IDEAS. BETTER GAMEPLAY.
About Me
My name is Anton Sinitsyn, and I am a fourth-year Game Design student at the HSE Art and Design School. My main interests lie in gameplay mechanics, level design, and game balance. I enjoy creating systems where simple rules generate interesting challenges and meaningful player choices.
My experience includes developing games in Unity and Unreal Engine, both independently and within small teams.
Tools & Skills
Mechanics, Level Design, Balance, Documentation, Gameplay PrototypingGame Engines: Unity, Unreal EngineDocumentation: Google Docs, Google Sheets01 / CUBE MATTERS.
2D Puzzle Game | Unreal Engine | Team of 2CUBE MATTERS is a puzzle game where players guide colored balls toward their goals by moving and rotating shapes. Since the balls cannot be controlled directly, every move requires careful planning.
MY ROLE — GAME DESIGNER & LEVEL DESIGNER
Along with my teammate, I developed the core gameplay concept and the rules for object interaction. My primary responsibility was level design: crafting puzzles, sequencing the introduction of new mechanics, and progressively scaling the difficulty.
Game design challenges
Making indirect control clear
The problem: Players had difficulty understanding how shapes moved and how balls transferred between them.
The solution: Each shape type follows a clear set of rules. Squares move horizontally or vertically, while rectangles rotate by 90 degrees. The first levels introduce these interactions one at a time, allowing players to learn the controls before solving puzzles that combine different mechanics.
Building difficulty step by step
The challenge: keep the puzzles interesting as players learn the mechanics, without making the rules overly complicated.
The solution: levels gradually introduce new elements:
Level 1: Basic movement Level 3: New types of squares Level 5: Rotating rectangles Level 8: Additional colors Levels 11–15: Combinations of existing mechanics
Instead of constantly adding new rules, later puzzles become more complex by combining mechanics that players already know.
Level 1 vs. Level 12: Increasing Complexity
Level 5: Rotating Rectangles
15 levels of increasing complexity
The game begins with basic movement and gradually introduces new shapes, rotation, and color combinations. Later puzzles integrate these mechanics, creating more challenging scenarios without altering the fundamental rules.
02 / SUI JURIS
3D Puzzle Platformer | Unreal Engine | Team of 4Sui Juris is a third-person puzzle platformer about an owl working in parliament. To earn a promotion, the player must complete a series of challenges involving movement, enemies, and environmental puzzles.
MY ROLE — GAME DESIGNER & LEVEL DESIGNER Responsible for designing character abilities, the stamina system, and object-interaction-based puzzles. I also worked on level design and game documentation, configuring character movement and the third-person camera within Unreal Engine.
Game design challenges
Making Abilities Meaningful
The Challenge: The owl has several powerful abilities, including dashing and gliding. Without limits, players could use them too often and easily bypass many challenges.
The Solution: A stamina system limits dashing and gliding, requiring players to strategize when to use each ability. Furthermore, carrying boxes disables other abilities, forcing players to plan their actions carefully during puzzles.
Creating Variety with Simple Mechanics
The challenge: Create different types of puzzles using a limited set of interactive objects.
The solution: The same boxes and buttons are used in two different ways. In one puzzle, players place boxes on buttons of matching colors. In another, they follow clues from NPCs to find the correct order. Changing the rules creates new challenges without adding new objects.
Connecting Mechanics and Level Design
The levels introduce mechanics incrementally, beginning with a tutorial and progressing toward more complex challenges. One of the later levels also allows players to choose the order in which they complete different rooms.
03 / THE BULKA
2D Side-Scrolling Platformer | Solo ProjectThe Bulka is a 2D platformer about a bun attempting to escape a dangerous forest. Players use various movement abilities to overcome obstacles and navigate the levels.
MY ROLE — SOLO GAME DEVELOPER
Responsible for the entire development lifecycle—from the initial concept and game design through programming and implementation. I designed the character’s abilities, created various obstacle types, and constructed the levels around how these elements interacted.
Game Design Challenges
