As levels in Soulreaper were composed entirely of tiles, my planning and blockouts were created the same way, though without wasting any time with high-fidelity files. There simply wasn't time, or manpower. I kept things simple - each biome was set up as a singular progression 'chart' image. Areas were linked via lines, and necessary level features were placed down as icons from a legend. These mockups were then translated directly into the tile system to match the exact design.

An example of a tilemap blockout, with enemies, their vision zones, patrol path directions, treasure and other elements.

(left) The Lava Biome level chart and progression path. (right) The player narrowly avoids the area attack of the skullwalls.