Lokko 2D Editor Guide: How to Build Levels, Hazards & Mechanics

🛠️ Want to build your own 2D platformer level? Lokko's 2D Editor is a free, browser-based level editor — no download, no install, no sign-up required to start building. This guide walks through every core tool: placing platforms, building climbable walls, setting traps and hazards, wiring up interactive mechanics, and choosing the right camera mode for your level.

Open the 2D Editor

Opening the 2D Editor

To get into the editor from the main menu:

  1. Launch Lokko and go to the Main Menu.
  2. Find the grid of game mode tiles in the middle of the screen.
  3. Look at the row directly beneath 3D LEVELS.
  4. Click the 2D EDITOR tile — the grid-layout icon in the middle row.

Lokko main menu with the 2D Editor tile highlighted among 3D Levels, Car Levels, Track Editor, and Enemy Editor options
Selecting the 2D Editor from Lokko's main menu

Editor Interface Overview

Once you're in, here's what you're looking at:

  • Left sidebar — camera mode toggles (Fixed/Dynamic), the Enemy Editor, the Action Editor, the green Play button, and the red Undo button
  • Grid canvas — your build space, center screen
  • Bottom toolbar — every placeable object, organized into Blocks, Interactive Elements, Hazards, and Mechanics
  • Feedback shortcut (F8) — bottom-right corner, for reporting bugs directly to the dev team

Lokko 2D Editor interface showing the left sidebar controls, grid canvas, and bottom object toolbar with a Start block placed
The 2D Editor's full interface: sidebar, canvas, and toolbar

Toolbar breakdown:

Category What's in it
Blocks & Terrain Basic structural blocks (blue, orange, yellow, pink, gray) and platform variants
Interactive Elements Gravity/portal modifiers, level timers, START/END points, checkpoints, coins
Hazards & Traps Spike variants (4x, 6x, 10x, single, multidirectional), sawblades, static obstacles
Mechanics & Triggers Directional boosters, elevators, movement arrows, dynamic action blocks

Building Your First Platform

Lokko's drag-to-place system is the fastest way to lay down terrain:

  1. Select a block from the bottom toolbar (blue or orange work well for a first platform).
  2. Click and hold on the grid where the platform should start.
  3. Drag sideways or vertically — a continuous line of blocks spawns as you drag.
  4. Release to set the platform in place.

Dragging to place a row of platform blocks across the grid in Lokko's 2D level editor
Drag-to-place platform building in the 2D Editor

Building Climbable Walls

Vertical climbs use a dedicated ladder block:

  1. Select the climbable block — the green block with horizontal rung markers, third item in the top toolbar row.
  2. Stack it vertically — drag or click repeatedly to build up to your desired height.
  3. Test it — hit Play, run into the column, and press Up/Jump to scale it.

A vertical column of green climbable ladder blocks placed in the Lokko 2D Editor grid
Placing a climbable wall in the 2D level editor

In gameplay, the wall-climb feels exactly like it looks — hold toward the wall and up:

Player character climbing a vertical ladder wall during a Lokko level playtest
Testing a wall-climb section in Lokko

Hazards and Traps

Spikes

Directional spikes instantly respawn the player on contact:

  • Select one of the red spike blocks with directional arrows (top toolbar row, next to the gray blocks).
  • Place them on top of platform blocks, lined up with the player's jump path.
  • Test with the green Play button — touching a spike respawns the player immediately.

Directional spikes placed on top of platform blocks in the Lokko 2D Editor
Spike hazard placement in a Lokko 2D level

Rotating Hazards: Spike Arms and Laser Arms

Both use the same Change Speed and rotation controls:

Hazard Speed Direction
Spike Arm ◄/► under Change Speed (default 2) Arrows beside the yellow rotation icon toggle clockwise/counter-clockwise
Rotating Laser Arm Same speed controls (try 3) Same clockwise/counter-clockwise toggle

Speed and rotation direction controls for a rotating spike arm hazard in the Lokko 2D Editor
Configuring a rotating spike arm's speed and direction

Interactive Mechanics

Slow-Motion Orb

Gives the player extra reaction time before a hard section:

  • Select the stopwatch icon in the toolbar, next to the purple trigger block.
  • Place it just before a fast obstacle or rotating hazard.
  • Effect: collecting it triggers slow motion, making tight dodges more forgiving.

Player triggering a slow-motion stopwatch orb near a rotating laser hazard during gameplay
Slow-motion orb effect in action near a laser hazard

Jump Pads

Launch the player vertically:

  • Select the yellow block with green up-arrows (^^^).
  • Place it on a platform — stepping on it launches the player upward.

Jump pad and rotating laser cross hazard placed together in the Lokko 2D Editor toolbar
Placing a jump pad alongside a rotating laser hazard

Conveyor Belts

Add sliding momentum to a section:

  • Select the framed tread icon, far right of the bottom toolbar row.
  • Click and drag across the grid where players should slide.
  • Effect: stepping on it accelerates the player automatically — great for chaining jumps.

A row of conveyor belt blocks placed across the platform in the Lokko 2D level editor
Conveyor belt placement for sliding movement mechanics

Pusher Cubes

A dynamic block that shoves the player across the grid:

  • Select the pink dotted block (3x or 5x) and place it on a platform.
  • Change Range — how far it extends.
  • Change Speed — how fast it pushes (default 7).
  • Change Push Direction — drag the yellow target icon (⊗) along the dashed line: left, right, up, or down.

Pusher cube configuration showing range, speed, and directional target controls in the Lokko 2D Editor
Setting up a pusher cube's range, speed, and direction

End Portal

Completes the level:

  1. Select the green glowing ring icon labeled END, between START and the coin icon.
  2. Place it on the platform where the level should finish.
  3. Test — reach it during Play to trigger the victory state.

Green glowing END portal placed at the finish of a level in the Lokko 2D Editor
Placing the END portal to complete a Lokko level

Camera Modes: Dynamic vs. Fixed

Your camera choice changes how a level feels to play:

Mode Behavior Best for
Dynamic Camera Tracks the player continuously across the screen Scrolling levels, long horizontal paths, tall vertical climbs
Fixed Camera Locks the view inside a stationary bordered box showing the whole stage Single-screen puzzles, compact platformers, precision arenas

Fixed camera mode showing the entire level stage framed inside a stationary bordered box
Fixed camera mode framing an entire level stage

Testing and Publishing Your Level

Playtest often — every mechanic in this guide should be tried in Play mode before you consider a level finished:

Testing a completed level layout in Lokko's 2D Editor, including start portal, hazards, and climbable wall
Playtesting a full level built in the 2D Editor

Happy with what you built? Save it and share it with the community — see our full guide on publishing and sharing your level:

Sign Up Free Explore User Creations

Ready to go 3D? Check out the 3D Editor guide next.

Get Help

Happy building! 🚀 Every great Lokko level started with someone's first block.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Lokko's 2D editor free to use?

Yes. The 2D Editor runs free in your browser with no download and no account required to build and test levels. You only need a free account if you want to save your level and publish it for others to play.

How do I make a spike arm or laser rotate in the Lokko 2D editor?

Select the spike arm or rotating laser object, then use the Change Speed controls (the left/right arrows) to set how fast it spins, and the rotation icon's arrows to toggle between clockwise and counter-clockwise.

What's the difference between Fixed Camera and Dynamic Camera?

Dynamic Camera tracks the player continuously, which suits scrolling levels and long or tall paths. Fixed Camera locks the view to show the whole stage at once without scrolling, which works best for single-screen puzzles and precision arenas.

Do I need to download anything to use the 2D editor?

No. Lokko's 2D Editor is entirely browser-based — just open it and start placing blocks. Nothing to install.

How do I publish a level I built in the 2D editor?

Sign up for a free account, then save your level from inside the editor. It becomes instantly available to the community. See our guide on publishing and sharing your level for the full walkthrough.