PAGE CURRENTLY UNDER CONSTRUCTION
Genre: 3D Action Adventure
Type: Stealth / Survival
Engine: Unreal Engine 5
Tools: AGLS, Blockout Starter Pack, Blueprints
Role: Level Designer
Iterations: 6
Playtests: 6
INTRO
What would happen if you blend The Last of Us Part 2, The Division and Death Stranding?
All That's Left is a third person action adventure level inspired by The Last of Us Part 2, The Division and Death Stranding.
Set in a fictional, post-apocalyptic downtown Chicago, this project focuses on tense, atmospheric encounters while blending a bleak tone through environmental storytelling.
GOALS & CONSTRAINTS
My goals for All That's Left:
Prioritize pacing and flow through weekly playtesting
Build a three-act structure within 9 level beats
Design a well-placed level by mixing exploration, traversal, and combat mechanics
Worldbuilding by using environmental storytelling elements.
Project constraints:
Complete 6 playable iterations
Simplified combat — advanced enemy AI and enemy variation were purposefully excluded as this was outside of scope for this project
Using premade mechanics — using the character controller and player mechanics built within AGLS to prioritize level blockout & flow, to simulate multiple team coordination
PROJECT OVERVIEW
Narratively Driven Design
The level design is focused around key, impactful moments that drive a story, much like The Last of Us.
Tense Combat
Much like The Last of Us, my focus on this level's combat encounter revolves around utilizing stealth in tense, dangerous encounters.
Traversing Through Ruins
Inspired by The Last of Us, I incorporated unique and engaging traversal mechanics to "pull" the player into a dangerous and destroyed city.
PROGRESS
The Last of Us: Part 2
I started my research by playing through both Last of Us titles with a focus on finding examples of tense, claustrophobic level beats.
2D Map
After receiving feedback, I narrowed the scope of the level to a more streamlined and focused layout.
Hand Drawn Sketch
After finishing the playthroughs, I decided to hand-draw a sketch of a level layout that included both above and underground sections.
Final Build
After 6 iterations, the final blockout ended up with 9 level beats with a focus on pacing and player interactions.
LEVEL HIGHLIGHTS
Enemy Encounters & Scavenging
North Cross Lobby
This is the midpoint of the level where the player has learned the core mechanics and now must use those skills in a blended encounter:
Collapsed Staircase: Teach players Climbing mechanics
Scavenging While Hunted: Evolution on Scavenging mechanics
Using The Environment: Incentivize Stealth and timing
6 Iterations & Map Location
Traversal & Scavenging
Ruined Foodcourt
This is where the level presents a small sense of non-linearity for the player:
Jagged Platforming: An evolution of platforming challenges
Open Skies: Foreshadows the final gameplay segment
Player Choices: Optional routes with varied mechanics
6 iterations & Map Location
Traversal & Worldbuilding
Roadway Tunnel
6 iterations & Map Location
This is the second to last level beat that acts as the culmination of all the traversal mechanics the player has learned thus far:
Platforms of Rubble: A final platforming test for the player
Climbing to Safety: The final climbing test for the player
Pacing for Finale: Help players connect the gameplay to story
6 Iterations & Map Location
LEVEL DESIGN TECHNIQUES
Affordances teach interaction
By using a guiding color as the key Affordance, in this case orange, the player learns what they are able to either interact with or be directed towards something they may: climb, mantle over, zipline or slide down.
When using the same elements in this way, the player will quickly learn how the interaction with the level and inherently learn new mechanics with ease.
Pacing gameplay with Level Flow
While building a narrative & worldbuilding heavy level, it’s important to plan how and when the player interacts with the space.
By using Pacing & Flow techniques, the player becomes more engaged with the level when the level’s layout focus on key gameplay encounters that have been staggered to avoid repetition.
Shape Language guiding responses
While blocking out this level, I focused on Shape Language to influence the player’s emotion and predetermined points.
For example, by using harsh and jagged shapes, this would invoke a sense of claustrophobia or fear, but smoother or rounder shapes will give the player a sense of ease or be used to guide the player.
Environmental Storytelling
Environmental Storytelling techniques are the bedrock to immersive and thought provoking levels without the need for exposition.
By utilizing this key technique, the player is able to learn about not only the level, by the greater world around them. The player is able find remnants of events that happened before their arrival.