2D Game Layout

I think everyone kind of starts of in 2D games. We practice be starting at the bottom and going up. Thats how it usually is anyway... Hopefully.
Anyway, I designed a layout for a 2D platform. We already have a set main character so we mostly just need to design the layout and make stuff look pretty.

My theme (or at least I hope to make it like this) is a candy, sweet sugar-coated land. A candyland or sorts but its not related to the board game. At all. Just forget the board game.

- This is the paper layout. Simple design, with moving platforms, falling acid, and little wooden signs that kinda help you along the way. I forgot to draw it on the paper, but in the bottom left corner (in all that empty space) there is a treasure chest- thats the goal in the game. The exclamation point at the top is just some bonus.

 

- And here is the illustrator layout! (I really dont like ill! :D ) Here it is all more pretty and detailed. I even placed weird looking monsters in there this time. The treasure chest is in there! yeah! TREASURE.

I wanted to make it look more pretty, but illustrator.... I will try to find out how to use it properly. One day... over the rainbow....

So, this is the first 2D platform Im making IN college. I already made a 3D one but now its onto 2D. We're mostly learning about mechanics this time. So once we get going I'll make everything like sweet and even have candy monsters!

E.V.O: Search for Eden

E.V.O: Search for Eden is a Nintendo Super NES game released in 1993 in North America. It is a single player, action RP platform game.

In E.V.O they start off with a movie intro which tells the character that the sun is the father of our universe and Earth (Gaia), the child of Sun, wants a champion. The main character starts off as a fish in the "The World Before Land" era in the sea (obviously). Gaia, a beautiful maiden, guides you through the game.

In the starter level you can get to understand your controls and swim around a bit. There a jellyfish nearby. Once you get closer the jellyfish will talk to you saying the world is ruled by the saying "survival of the fittest." It is kill or be killed. From that moment the player can attack jellyfish and gain experience points. Getting enough experience points can "level up" the character: you evolve a part of the body to gain strength and overcome more difficult enemies.
In each level you have seaweed and shrimp (it looks like shrimp to me) to replenish your health.

^ These are screenshots from the next era where land starts to arise. Its essentially the start of the dinosaur era. I already evolved my little guy with most of the evolution choices. Honestly, you have to grin a lot to evolve.
Its kinda like pokemon except you are the pokemon trying to survive the ever changing pokemon world.



Here is a layout of the first level, the starter/introduction. Im not the best at Illustrator so its sketchy. Ha. :/  I wanted to use Photoshop but we were required to use Ill.