Phantoms of the Co-opera
Role
Game and Level Designer
Genre
3D Puzzle game
Tool
Unity
Development Time
5 weeks
Phantoms of the Co-Opera is a 3D co-op puzzle game in which you play as a ghost stuck in a theatre. Even though separated, you and your companion need to assist each other to be able to escape from their limbo and pass to the next stage.
Highlights
Designed and polished some of the puzzle of the game
Created the layout of one of the rooms
Used assets from 3D artists to make one of the rooms in engine
Collected data through playtests
Contributed to the game design document
Project Link:
https://futuregames.itch.io/the-phantoms-of-the-co-opera
Concept
I designed Phantoms of the Co-opera in 5 weeks. To meet the deadline without rushing low-quality assets, I made a deliberate choice: no character models.
Players are separated into different rooms. No avatars, no shared screen. Just voice and indirect interaction.
What looked like a limitation became a feature – a unique form of cooperation and a subtle sense of isolation.
Design Goal
I wanted a cooperative experience that:
Forces communication (it cannot be optional)
Feels different from traditional co-op games
Remains accessible to new players
Puzzle Design
I designed the onboarding puzzles with one rule: introduce one mechanic per puzzle.
Puzzle 1 teaches simultaneous action. Both players press a button together.
Puzzle 2 adds asymmetry. One player sees a target, the other controls the lever.
Puzzle 3 introduces remote consequence. Player A's action unlocks Player B's world.
No puzzle adds a second mechanic before the first is mastered.
Playtesting Changed Everything
I tested with 5 pairs of external players. No instructions. Just "figure it out together."
The first puzzle worked immediately (45 seconds). Puzzle 2 confused players because the UI was silent and not easily visible, so I added a text hint which reduced time from 2 minutes to 1.
Puzzle 3 had a 40% abandonment rate. Players didn't understand that Player A's button unlocked Player B's lever.
The Fix
Instead of explaining with text (players don't read under pressure), I added a visual light pulse on the button when activatable. No words. Just a glow.
After the fix: 0 abandonment. Completion time cut in half.
What I Learned1
A visual signal is worth a paragraph of text. Test early. Watch where players hesitate – that's where your design fails, not your players.
Highlights
Designed and polished some of the puzzle of the game
Created the layout of one of the rooms
Used assets from 3D artists to make one of the rooms in engine
Collected data through playtests
Contributed to the game design document
Concept
I designed Phantoms of the Co-opera in 5 weeks. To meet the deadline without rushing low-quality assets, I made a deliberate choice: no character models.
Players are separated into different rooms. No avatars, no shared screen. Just voice and indirect interaction.
What looked like a limitation became a feature – a unique form of cooperation and a subtle sense of isolation.
Design Goal
I wanted a cooperative experience that:
Forces communication (it cannot be optional)
Feels different from traditional co-op games
Remains accessible to new players
Puzzle Design – One Mechanic at a Time
I designed the onboarding puzzles with one rule: introduce one mechanic per puzzle.
Puzzle 1 teaches simultaneous action. Both players press a button together.
Puzzle 2 adds asymmetry. One player sees a target, the other controls the lever.
Puzzle 3 introduces remote consequence. Player A's action unlocks Player B's world.
No puzzle adds a second mechanic before the first is mastered.
Playtesting Changed Everything
I tested with 5 pairs of external players. No instructions. Just "figure it out together."
Puzzle 1 worked immediately (45 seconds). Puzzle 2 confused players because the UI was silent → I added a text hint → time dropped from 2 minutes to 1.
Puzzle 3 had a 40% abandonment rate. Players didn't understand that Player A's button unlocked Player B's lever.
The Fix
Instead of explaining with text (players don't read under pressure), I added a visual light pulse on the button when activatable. No words. Just a glow.
After the fix: 0 abandonment. Completion time cut in half.
What I Learned
A visual signal is worth a paragraph of text. Test early. Watch where players hesitate – that's where your design fails, not your players.
Project Link:
https://futuregames.itch.io/the-phantoms-of-the-co-opera
I used the theatre setting itself as feedback. The lobby is a dressing room with a mirror. When the host creates the lobby, their mask appears in the mirror, when the second player joins, their mask appears next to it. Only when both masks are visible does the Start button appear for the host.
Players instantly understand: 'My mask is in the mirror. We're both here. Let's begin.'
Case Study – First Puzzle
The Goal
Within the first few seconds of gameplay, players need to learn three things: how to interact, that cooperation is mandatory, and that communication is their only tool.
No tutorials. No text boxes. Just the puzzle itself.
The Setup
Two players. Two separate rooms. One closed door between them.
Each room contains two buttons – and nothing else. No distractions. No decorative elements. Just the problem to solve.
The Design Approach
I teach mechanics through action, not instructions.
Players naturally explore the room. They find a button. A UI prompt appears the moment they get close. They press it.
Nothing happens.
They try the other button. Nothing happens again.
Then they hear their partner say: "I pressed something. Did you?"
That's the moment the game begins.
Progress requires both players to press their button at the same time. No text explains this. The puzzle itself creates the realization: "Oh – we need to coordinate."
Highlights
Designed and iterated the onboarding puzzle and the next 3
Created the level layout of the first room
Used assets from 3D artists to make one of the rooms in the engine
Conducted playtests and collected data through them
Co-wrote the game design document
Concept
I designed Phantoms of the Co-opera in 5 weeks. To meet the deadline without rushing low-quality assets, I made a deliberate choice: no character models.
Players are separated into different rooms. No avatars, no shared screen. Just voice and indirect interaction.
What looked like a limitation became a feature – a unique form of cooperation and a subtle sense of isolation.
Design Goal
I wanted a cooperative experience that:
Forces communication
Feels different from traditional co-op games
Remains accessible to new players
Puzzle Design
I designed the onboarding puzzle and the next set of 3 with one rule: introduce one mechanic per puzzle set.
Puzzle 0 (tutorial) teaches simultaneous action. Both players press a button together.
Puzzle 1-3 adds asymmetry. One player sees a target, the other controls it.
No puzzle adds a second mechanic before the first is mastered.
Playtesting Changed Everything
I tested with 5 pairs of external players. No instructions. Just "figure it out together", meanwhile, I observed and collected data, and only after they completed the test, I asked them more questions (if needed).
The first puzzle worked immediately (within 60 seconds). The second Puzzle confused players because the UI was silent and not easily visible, so I added a text hint, which reduced the time from 2 minutes to 1.
Puzzle 3 had a 40% abandonment rate. Players didn't understand that Player A's button unlocked Player B's lever.
The Fix
Instead of explaining with text (players don't read under pressure), I added a visual light pulse on the button when it is activatable. No words. Just a glow. After the fix: 0 abandonment. Completion time cut in half.
What I Learned
A visual signal is worth a paragraph of text. Test early. Watch where players hesitate – that's where your design fails, not your players.
Project Link:
https://futuregames.itch.io/the-phantoms-of-the-co-opera
Case Study – First Puzzle
I used the theatre setting itself as feedback. The lobby is a dressing room with a mirror. When the host creates the lobby, their mask appears in the mirror, when the second player joins, their mask appears next to it. Only when both masks are visible does the Start button appear for the host.
Players instantly understand: 'My mask is in the mirror. We're both here. Let's begin.'
The Design Approach
I teach mechanics through action, not instructions.
Players naturally explore the room. They find a button. A UI prompt appears the moment they get close. They press it.
Nothing happens.
They try the other button. Nothing happens again.
Then they hear their partner say: "I pressed something. Did you?"
That's the moment the game begins.
Progress requires both players to press their button at the same time. No text explains this. The puzzle itself creates the realization: "Oh – we need to coordinate."
The Goal
Within the first few seconds of gameplay, players need to learn three things: how to interact, that cooperation is mandatory, and that communication is their only tool.
No tutorials. No text boxes. Just the puzzle itself.
The Setup
Two players. Two separate rooms. One closed door between them.
Each room contains two buttons – and nothing else. No distractions. No decorative elements. Just the problem to solve.
I used the theatre setting itself as feedback. The lobby is a dressing room with a mirror. When the host creates the lobby, their mask appears in the mirror, when the second player joins, their mask appears next to it. Only when both masks are visible does the Start button appear for the host.
Players instantly understand: 'My mask is in the mirror. We're both here. Let's begin.'
Case Study – First Puzzle
Design Goal
Teach players:
Basic interaction
The need for cooperation
How to communicate with each other
All within the first few seconds of gameplay.
Setup
Two players are placed in separate rooms
A closed door blocks progression
Two buttons are placed in each room
No additional elements are present to avoid confusion
OTHER PROJECTS
The Design Approach
I teach mechanics through action, not instructions.
Players naturally explore the room. They find a button. A UI prompt appears the moment they get close. They press it.
Nothing happens.
They try the other button. Nothing happens again.
Then they hear their partner say: "I pressed something. Did you?"
That's the moment the game begins.
Progress requires both players to press their button at the same time. No text explains this. The puzzle itself creates the realization: "Oh – we need to coordinate."