Flight of the Phoenix

The initial problem was creating flight controls. The player needed to be able to move the bird vertically and horizontally as the forward movement would be applied automatically.
The next stage was to get the rebirth mechanic to work. Through some playtesting an average of 10 coins would allow the bird to be reborn if they collided with an obstacle.
To create excitement I incorporated pick-ups and abilities. Firstly I created an item dubbed 'flames'.
Collecting these flames would give the player an option to either use a Smokedash, used to pass through an object or Fireball to destroy it.
The Fireball and Smokedash provide a similar outcome, lava plumes were introduced and as these can't be destroyed the Smokedash gained more usage.

I wanted the obstacles to feel natural, rather than spontaneous creatures appearing.
Therefore, I created boulders which fall from the ceiling, rocks on the surface, and small gaps within cavern walls, making it difficult to proceed.
Lava plumes would suddenly shoot a stream of lava vertically, which the player would have to anticipate and avoid.

A simple story was created to focus on the gameplay.
Each section had a certain amount of tiles. The last tile within a section would create a turn to move on to the next set of tiles. This made navigating the cave feel more dynamic.
I used emissive materials and lava to provide light as the cave was naturally dark making it easier for the player to enjoy the game.