The Fungle
The Fungle launch trailer
The Fungle is the 5th map in Among Us that all started with a single prompt: “a tropical island where the Crewmates must put their survival skills to the test.”
It was first announced on September 14, 2023, during a Nintendo Direct. It released on October 24, 2023, on PC, Nintendo Switch, mobile, PS4 & PS5, and Xbox.
Role
As the sole game designer on the map, I championed the vision for the map and was responsible for designing all of the systems and mechanics for it.
As a multi-disciplinary effort, I worked with all departments to ensure all design specifications were clearly defined. For example:
Built the map with the programming team from the first playable prototype all the way to release
Collaborated with the art team to define the overall visual theme of the map
Synced regularly with the production team to ensure the progress of the map was on time
I also spoke extensively about the development of the map with Epic Games here:
https://store.epicgames.com/en-US/news/among-us-welcomes-us-to-the-fungle-update-play-the-new-map-now
Design Details
Map Design
Concepted different map layouts on paper while taking into account the overall size, platform considerations, and existing map layouts
Balanced the overall flow of players throughout a match. Ensured there is a balance of major and minor loops in the layout. Minimized chokepoints.
Created areas for both Crewmates and Impostors to plan, execute, and succeed
Broadly defined the rooms, shadows, and the vent network on the island
An early sketch of The Fungle! Many key components seen here, such as the fishing task and the zipline, end up being carried through to release.
Gameplay Design
The Spore Cloud in action! There could be 0 or 10 other players in that cloud with you…
Balancing the old with the new
The Fungle used many of the existing mechanics from the maps that preceded it. This softens the learning curve of the new map while also preserving fan favorites such as the Wires task. However, this must be balanced with many new mechanics to keep the map from feeling stale or cheap. This balance needed to be maintained with many components of the map: rooms, tasks, sabotages, and utilities
New Mechanics
The Zipline - a new mechanic to Among Us that was not only fun to use but also solved a core problem in the map’s flow
Spore Cloud - in the jungle area of The Fungle, there are many small mushrooms on paths. When a player stepped on one of these mushrooms, they released a spore cloud that obstructed the vision of anyone in the vicinity. These were designed to have utility from both teams: Crewmates can lose an Impostor chasing them or Impostors can use them to hide a kill
Mushroom Mixup - a new sabotage for Impostors to wreak havoc with. It randomizes the colors and cosmetics of all players for a short period of time.
Logistics
As a part of designing the above features, other responsiblities I managed were:
Organizing regular playtests with recurring and new playtesters and actioning off of the feedback from them
Maintaining the task database to make sure that the designs were properly represented, dependencies were appropriately labeled, and team members weren’t overburdened
Synced with leadership to provide updates on the map’s development progress
Ensure that the map and it’s release complied with all platforms
Release Sentiment
Overall, I was very happy with the development and the release of The Fungle. It was a fun project to work on from start to finish. I was really proud of what we created and I was especially happy to hear from the programming team that the end of the map’s development (where crunch is most likely to occur) “was smoother than expected”. Players also were very surprised and receptive to the new map:
