Solo Project
Genre: Third Person Action Adventure
Engine: Unreal Engine 5.7
Development: 8 weeks
Iterations: 6
Playtests: 10
Tools: Jakub W AGLS, UE Blueprints, Affinity, Miro
Iterations Overview
Blockout Iteration 1
Blockout Iteration 2
Blockout Iteration 3
Blockout Iteration 4
Polish Iteration
Project Goals
My goal was to create a cinematic, narrative-driven level that pulls the strongest elements from the games I admire — The Last of Us Part I, Fallout 3, and Silent Hill 2. It was a chance to sharpen my core level-design craft through hands-on iteration, with a focus on readable, well-paced spaces. I focused on:
Using Landmarks to guide the player through the level.
Designing readable spaces using sightlines, cover, and composition.
Driving mood and tension through environmental lighting and set dressing.
Iterating from playtest feedback to tighten layout and flow.
Level Beat Breakdown
Beat 1:
Beat 2:
Beat 3:
Beat 4:
Beat 5:
Beat 6:
Beat 7:
Beat 8:
Beat 9:
Iteration 1
Using Unreal Engine’s Modeling tools, I blocked out buildings and encounter spaces with simple geometry to focus on framing landmarks, readability, and movement between each section to make sure the player naturally flows through the level.
Topdown
Beat 1
Beat 2
Beat 3
Beat 4
Capitol Building Vista
Beat 5
Beat 6
Beat 7
Beat 8
Playtester Feedback
Players felt that the level was too open and landmarks weren’t framed well, and the level lacked verticality. But it flowed nicely and was paced well.
Iteration 2
After feedback, I scrapped my first iteration entirely and started fresh. The level felt out of scope, so I took a different approach. I started integrating narrative beats from the beginning to better identify where design points of rest should sit within the level.
Top Down
Beat 1
Beat 2
Beat 3
Beat 4
Beat 5
Beat 6
Beat 7
Playtester Feedback
Playtesters felt that the space was more defined and grounded than the first. They felt some areas still felt too open and lacking in verticality.
Iteration 3
I started to integrate enemy locations and fill in the combat encounters and establish cover points. This way players didn’t feel like the spaces were too large and open when they had enemies to worry about.
Top down
Beat 1
Beat 2
Beat 3
Beat 4
Beat 5
Beat 6
Beat 7
Beat 8
Playtester Feedback
Playtesters responded positively to the opening cinematic and felt the stealth introduction at beat 2 was well executed. The vertical alternate path at beat 4 was called out as a strong addition for player agency. The main takeaway was that beat 6 needs more intensity to feel impactful.
Iteration 4
I started adding scripted events such as cinematics, subtitles, enemy spawns, and moveable objects to add more to the players experience and start to develop basic systems I can edit later. I also reworked beat 7 to traversing inside an abandoned building instead of going around it.
Top Down
Beat 1
Beat 2
Beat 3
Beat 4
Beat 5
Beat 6
Beat 7
Beat 8
Playtester Feedback
Playtesters responded positively to the opening cinematic and felt the stealth introduction at beat 2 was well executed. The vertical alternate path at beat 4 was called out as a strong addition for player agency. The main note was that beat 6 needs more intensity to feel impactful.
Iteration 5
I focused on adding environmental detail to the Capitol Building, Shockoe Bottom, and the ambush area were each developed to support environmental storytelling within their respective beats. The ambush area was also altered into distinct sections, giving the player room to heal and swap weapons before pushing forward.
Top Down
Beat 1
Beat 2
Beat 3
Beat 4
Beat 5
Beat 6
Beat 6 2/2
Beat 7 & 8
Playtester Feedback
Playtesters responded positively to the added environmental detail, saying it strengthened the sense of place across the level. The restructured pacing at the ambush encounter also landed well as players felt the recovery window gave intensity the weight it needed. The main note was that the vista lighting was too bright, reducing player readability.
Final Iteration
To finish things off, my focus shifted to lighting and music by drawing inspiration from The Last of Us to keep both simple but purposeful. Lighting was dialed back to better frame the vistas and improve readability, while triggered music cues were added for the opening cinematic, the ambush encounter, and the bridge arrival to reinforce each beat's emotional / narrative tone.
Top Down
Beat 1
Beat 2
Beat 3
Beat 4
Beat 4 2/3
Beat 4 3/3
Beat 5
Beat 6
Beat 7
Key Changes
Before
After
Before
After
Before
After
PProject Takeaways
This project reinforced that a core part of level design is the ability to take feedback and integrate it without losing sight of your original intent. Studying how other games, particularly The Last of Us, handle pacing, lighting, and encounter design gave me a direct reference point to apply those same principles to my own work. It was also a reminder of what focused effort can produce; the scope of what came together in 8 weeks was genuinely surprising and motivates me to keep learning and seeking feedback to better my skills as a designer.