Think of a level like a skate park. There are different obstacles and challenges laid out in a nonlinear way. By not having a clear A -> B progression, multiple challenges requiring different routes can be sprinkled throughout the level.

Skate Park level design allows a player to familiarize themselves with an area creating a warm bond between the player and the level. Skilled players will learn to flow through the various obstacles in interesting ways.

"Jolly me! It's Santa. I just booked an extended-stay vacation, and guess what! I'm staying at your level! I ho- ho- hope you made it compelling." - Santa

Skate Park Level Design In Actual Video Games

In Super Mario 64's Bob-Omb Battlefied, 7 stars are up for grabs. All of which are in a nice compact level.

Besides the more linear Koopa levels, most all of Mario 64's levels use skate park level design. While some are larger than others, the stages are still relatively small with gameplay stretched across.

Jet Set Radio's Benten-cho is another example of skate park level design. As can be seen on the map below, the area appears simple at first, but this small space packs quite a bit of complexity.

The grey on the map represents the ground-level road, but the player can also reach the rooftops indicated with orange. The red lines represent paths the player can take by grinding.