Nat Clayton, level designer

“We tend to think of 3D spaces as the only truly “immersive” ones in video games, but A Highland Song has put this idea to rest. It might be rendered in 2D but make no mistake, there is an entire world for you to step into.”

Lewis Gordon, A Highland Song Review – Remap

A Highland Song is a narrative platformer set in the Scottish Highlands, following a teen girl as she crossed mountains to reach her uncle at sea. I was brought on as a Level Designer in mid-2022 to help realise those mountains, taking a very rough foundation laid down by Jon Ingold and turning them into real, designed environments.

Levels in Highland are built around “peaks” – bespoke segments where the goal is to reach the summit of whatever hill you may be at, designed around a core theme, character or narrative interaction. Between these peaks are procedural music runs, where the player engages in light rhythm game sprints to the sound of Scottish folk music. As a designer, I use these music runs to create a sense of scale and pacing – selling the distances Moira travels and creating levity after a hard climb.

Another mechanic we’ve introduced in Highland is the idea of “maps”. Hidden in the world are sketches of landmarks Moira can track down from peaks, opening shortcuts and secret areas to those with keen eyes (a path hidden between odd-looking trees, for example). This encourages me as a designer to create interesting-looking geography and gives the world a rich density of routes a player may take through it. These maps persist through playthroughs, encouraging players to come back and see what they’ve missed.

Jon and I both worked in tandem to create the world’s narrative. As a writer, he may come up with a location he wants to explore, while I may outline an odd structure or funny rock for him to spin a yarn about. I am also responsible for applying art to the game world, using “splats” painted by Anastasia Wyatt to create a watercolour patchwork.

A Highland Song released on December 5th, 2023 to overwhelmingly positive reviews. The game was nominated for three awards at the 2024 Independent Games Festival including Excellence in Audio, Excellence in Narrative and the Seumus McNally Grand Prize.