The village is designed to encourage free but readable exploration: resources, chests, and messages are placed off the critical path to reward curiosity and strengthen environmental storytelling.
MARKY RHÉAUME
JUNIOR LEVEL DESIGNER
/Ashen Crown
/Level Design Process
This is a personal level design project created in Unreal Engine 5, with the goal of designing a linear level sequence integrated into an open world, suited to a third-person action RPG.
This design document aims to clearly outline the design intent behind the choices related to spatial structure, progression, environmental storytelling, and gameplay. It details the methods used to achieve these objectives, notably through the placement of obstacles, enemies, rewards, and landmarks.
The worlds of God of War and Elden Ring serve as aesthetic and gameplay references, particularly for their handling of pacing, exploration, and implicit storytelling.
/Research and Design ideas
This moodboard supports the Level Design Document by highlighting the visual and thematic references that informed my design intentions. It was built through targeted research to define the level’s tone, atmosphere, and compositional rules, ensuring environmental storytelling, readability, and consistent landmark language throughout the player’s progression.
/Sketching
Here are the initial sketches created to define the level’s structure and place key navigation elements (landmarks, transition zones, combat spaces). They served as a foundation to quickly validate readability and progression pacing before moving into the blockout.
The intensity chart helped me plan the pacing curve by intentionally alternating moments of tension (combat), traversal phases (climbing), and breathing spaces (rest), in order to manage player fatigue and set up the intensity peaks.
In this first village sketch, the intention is to create clear and engaging exploration, with panoramic viewpoints and a well paced progression. The placement of buildings, enemies, scrolls, and the NPC is designed to guide navigation, vary combat scenarios, and strengthen environmental storytelling
/Blockout / Whitebox
Left (risk/reward): a longer detour that encourages exploration and provides resources in exchange for additional effort.
Right (fast progression): a more direct route that preserves pacing, with no rewards or optional content.
In the cave, ghostly silhouettes (former miners) act as diegetic guidance: they appear at decision points to indicate the way forward, reinforce immersion, and improve readability without relying on UI markers.
On the left route, this section introduces a traversal challenge where the player must use their grappling hook and climb the rocky walls. They use the grappling hook to bring down a boulder and unlock a horizontal passage, then climb to reach the upper level, varying the pacing between two segments that are more focused on combat and exploration.
In this room connected to the previous section, a large central pit acts as a landmark and clearly signals the main progression downward. A side route leads to a deliberate dead end with a reward, encouraging exploration without pulling the player away from the critical path for long.
By taking the right path, the player arrives in a flooded section that offers a fast-paced route focused on traversal (swimming + climbing) to vary the rhythm. Passing through the opening in the wall serves as a spatial reconnection, bringing the player back to the junction point where the two routes merge before the continuation of the level.
The player can see the zipline in the distance: it marks a transition and clearly guides progression to cross the cliff, while offering a traversal moment that reinvigorates the flow. A chest, placed on a more distant rock and accessible via nearby stone pillars, serves as an optional reward before continuing.
The next two areas are intentionally low-intensity: they serve as a transition and a moment of respite to rebalance the pacing before the next rise in tension. Progression remains clear thanks to sightlines, landmarks, and guided pathways, while the environments support environmental storytelling by conveying context and atmosphere without interrupting the flow.
This section is designed as a medium-intensity traversal sequence, aiming to test climbing mastery while maintaining clear navigation. The ledges serve as landmarks and safe pauses to pace the progression. The player then enters a small transition room leading to the next area.
A simple environmental puzzle reinforces observation: the player must spot and destroy three orbs integrated into the environment to disable a magical barrier, which briefly slows the pace and encourages visual exploration.
A magical barrier blocks access to a treasure room (optional reward). To open it, the player must spot and destroy three orbs anchored in the environment, which encourages observation and exploration of the area.
The partially collapsed rock path creates a medium-intensity traversal sequence. The rockfall at the beginning acts as a scripted event: it surprises the player, confirms the instability of the environment, and modifies the space by destroying a portion of the bridge. The player must then alternate between climbing and using the grappling hook to reach the cave exit.
This area serves as a transition and a breathing moment toward the castle. The wooden structure channels progression to the elevator, with a few enemies placed to maintain light tension without breaking the rhythm. Once activated, the elevator leads to an elevated platform offering a goal reveal: a clear view of the castle entrance in the distance, reinforcing the clarity of the objective.
Here is the approach room before the mid-boss: a vast ruined hall, intentionally calm, designed as a breathing moment to release tension and create anticipation. The stairs and volumes highlight the grandeur of the place and psychologically prepare the player for the upcoming confrontation.
A mandatory encounter that marks a progression milestone in the castle. This mid-boss acts as a mastery test in a readable arena, leaving enough space for repositioning.
/In-Game Screenshots
