Designing Test Cases for Action RPG Levels: A Structured Approach

Writing and maintaining test cases is essential for game testers, but traditional approaches often struggle to express the complexity of ARPG level testing. This article proposes a new design method that starts from the level’s "flow line" and decomposes all elements to create more test‑friendly cases.

1. ARPG Characteristics – ARPGs combine RPG growth, action combat, and adventure puzzles. Three sub‑types are identified: story‑driven, combat‑focused, and puzzle‑oriented, with examples such as Kingdom Hearts , Dynasty Warriors , and Kena: Bridge of Spirits .

2. Level Design Types – Levels are classified by freedom: linear, multi‑path, and open‑world. Linear levels enforce a single route, multi‑path levels allow player choice, and open‑world levels give maximal freedom.

3. Loading Strategies – Two main loading methods are discussed: Hard Loading (full resource load before entry) and Dynamic Loading (runtime monitoring and incremental load/unload). Techniques like Air Lock and Shaped Corridor are described to achieve seamless transitions.

4. Test‑Case Design Process – The workflow includes:

Extracting an abstract level flow from the design paper.

Identifying start/end points, load/unload points, and save points.

Defining event nodes (player control, camera control, scene interaction, NPC behaviour, puzzles, scene changes, special gameplay).

Creating detailed case tables that cover normal success, player errors, object errors, and unexpected exceptions.

5. Visualisation Techniques – To make cases clearer, the article recommends adding top‑down maps, perspective sketches, and storyboards. These visuals link numbered events to the test steps, helping reviewers understand spatial relationships and movement trajectories.

6. Conclusion – By combining systematic decomposition with visual aids, testers can produce richer, more maintainable ARPG level test cases and improve overall testing efficiency.