A Framework for Creating Memorable Levels

Over the weekend, I listened to a Radiolab episode “The Secret to a Long Life,” which discusses the science of memory creation and inspired me to do some research into why certain levels are so memorable. This research identified a few key principles:

Novelty: Levels with unique premises and mechanics that players have never seen before, for example the time travel mechanics in Dishonored 2’s Clockwork Mansion and Titanfall 2’s Effect and Cause.

Breaking Expectations: Levels that surprise players, for example entering what appears to be a normal, small dungeon and actually entering an entire subterranean world (Elden Rings’ Siofra River and Skyrim’s Blackreach) or when players expect dark fantasy, but they get fairytales and rainbows like in the Witcher 3’s Land of A Thousand Fables. Things like plot twists and jump scares can create big surprises as well.

Spatial Construction & Familiarity: Using landmarks and creating mental maps are powerful memory aids, and interconnecting spaces in unexpected ways like Dark Souls’ Firelink Shrine creates an unforgettable moment.

Practice & Mastery: Levels where players must perfect their technique to advance, such as boss fights in soulslike games. Both the practicing and the eventual triumph are immensely satisfying to our goal directed brains.

Deduction: When players discover a novel use for a familiar mechanic they get a big dopamine hit, which strongly reinforces memory formation. For example, taking a principle learned on one planet in the Outer Wilds and applying it in a different context.

Social Interaction: Interacting with others, especially those you care about, increases the likelihood of memory creation, so when level mechanics force interaction, like in World of Warcraft’s raids, memories are created.

The takeaway? Most of these techniques create strong emotional responses in players.

How should you integrate these principles into your level? 

In particular, you’ll notice some challenges. Novelty is expensive. So are the boss fights in practice & mastery. Things like breaking expectations, jumpscares, and plot twists have diminishing returns. 

Fortunately, it turns out you don’t have to use these techniques very often. In fact, you rarely need more than two strong memory encoding moments per level. 

In Noise or Insight? Five Tips to Get Real Insights in Playtests!, Tencent UX researchers identified that players primarily remember two moments from a play session. The most exciting moment and the finale of the play session. This aligns with UX's Peak-End Rule.

The two most important moments in your level are it's peak and it's end.

We can use these insights to efficiently leverage the memory creation techniques above. Use one memory creation principle at your level’s peak and another one at the finale. You might already be doing this. Is there a boss fight at the end of your level? Great, you’ve got a practice & mastery moment at the finale already, now you just need one more moment at your level's peak. 

When you finish a playtest, ask players to recount peak moments and finales to see how well they stuck.

What are some of the most memorable levels? Which of these techniques do they leverage?