The biggest constraint: The theme.

For any game, the real magic happens when the level design, mechanics, and visuals all support each other. Going into this jam, our biggest constraint was the theme: “One Room.”

So we thought, why not lean into it? 

We decided that every level would literally be shaped like the number 1 as a fun nod to the theme and a visual hook players could instantly associate with the jam.

The mechanics worked fine but ...

At first, we were pretty confident about this direction… until we actually played our early levels.
Turns out, a bunch of rooms shaped like “1” can get really repetitive. The mechanics worked fine, but the levels didn’t feel exciting. Everything blended together.

So we changed direction.

Instead of identical rooms, we decided that each room should feel like it belongs to someone with a unique personality e.g. a hobby, a vibe, or a story. Suddenly the levels came alive.
One room became grungy and dirty, as if its previous owner never cleaned a day in their life.
Another turned into a shrine to Messi, covered in football posters.
These little touches made each level instantly more memorable.

But just changing the visuals wasn’t enough.
We realized that a room needs its own gameplay moment, not just its own look.
So we built puzzles around each room’s theme. A football-themed room? Of course you defuse the bomb by… “playing football.”
A filthy, grimy room? You dig through the grunge to uncover the clues.
Same geometry, totally different experiences.

One of our favorite examples was the “haunted walls” level. The clue tells the player to stand near colored walls and interact with them. At first, walls simply “knocked” back. It worked, but it felt like something was missing. Who was knocking?
To fix that, we painted goofy ghost portraits on the walls, hinting that the ghosts themselves were responding.
Suddenly the whole thing felt intentional, funny, and way more atmospheric.

What we learned

Even when your level geometry is locked down, like ours was, you can still pack tons of variety into a game.
Change the decor, change the puzzle, change the vibe, and suddenly each level feels like a new experience.

The “one room” theme stopped being a limitation and started becoming a playground.
And honestly, that’s when the game finally became fun to design.