Level Trailer
Project Info
Genre: Third Person Shooting
Engine: Unreal Engine 5
Development Time: 6 weeks
Platform: PC
Game Inspiration
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Resident Evil: Resident Evil 4/ Resident Evil 2
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This level is inspired by Resident Evil 4, particularly the starting area of the castle. In that part of the game, the player is accompanied by Ashley and can access areas that were initially unreachable. For my project, I aim to create a version of this level that reflects my interpretation of its core mechanics and original level design.
Story Overview
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Leon and Ashley were forced by infected villagers into the castle proper. Inside, they were greeted by the castle’s owner, marking the beginning of their perilous journey. From this point on, Leon was tasked with protecting Ashley at all costs. While exploring the castle, the two became separated due to a malfunctioning elevator. After calming Ashley and instructing her to stay put, Leon ventured into the underground dungeon to investigate. There, he uncovered more dark secrets about the cult and its experiments with the Plaga parasite. He also encountered a new version of Mr. X, which forced him to flee the area as quickly as possible to avoid capture. Leon eventually made his way back to the castle and reconnected with Ashley. Determined to avoid another encounter with Mr. X, he swiftly gathered the necessary resources and led Ashley out of the area, progressing to their next destination.
Core Objective
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Escape the castle with Ashley
Approach
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The player must explore the enigmatic castle, uncover its hidden secrets, and survive its dangers while striving to find a way to escape.
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Player can learn more of the story through pickups and dialogues.
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When up against Mr.X, the player can try to find his weakness or completely avoid him while trying to escape the dungeon area.
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Players can go backward to explore more of the previous locations to gather more resources.
Layout Overview
Blueprints
Major Events
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Infinite Enemy Spawn
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Force Player to move forward
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Cinematic Gates
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Show enemy spawn and lock path behind
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Sudden Elevator Drop
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Separate Player from Ashley
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Mr.X Encounter
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Jump Scare
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Execute Mr.X
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Optional Side Quest
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Mechanics
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Inspect Items
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Interactive Doors
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Elevator
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AI Companion
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Locked Doors
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Dialogue System
Walkthrough (With Commentary)
I start my design process by researching Resident Evil 4 and reviewing other people's playthroughs to see their approaches to different objectives, combining this with my own playthrough experience. I also take notes on some of the mechanics I want the player to experience in my level.
Design Process
Then, I drafted an initial quest flow and sketched a simple 2D layout for my level. From there, I transformed my rough sketch into a cleaner, more precise representation of my vision for the map. I also created a reference board to help establish the initial vibe. In this level, I aimed to include an optional quest experience for the player that would not interfere with the main progression. To achieve this, I designed a dungeon area that is separate from the rest of the level and large enough for the player to explore.
I quickly blocked out the level to get a basic feel and to see if what I was envisioning would work well in the engine. During this process, I made numerous adjustments to improve the overall feel and took notes on elements that could help guide the player to where I wanted them to go. In the initial blockout, I used different grid materials and basic lighting to achieve my goals.
While blocking out my level, I decided to implement Mr. X and test him to ensure he performed his role correctly. I conducted additional research and chose to use a chaos object to create his grand entrance. Although I encountered some issues with the nav mesh, I was able to identify the problem and successfully make Mr. X chase the player. I also made the mechanic that will execute Mr.X if player manage to reach the upper dungeon level.
Aside from those I implemented Ashley's AI , key item pickups and an elevator using blueprints to ensure smooth progression for the player during this stage of development.
After blocking out the level and ensuring all necessary mechanics were working, I wanted to nail the vibe of the level. To achieve this, I expanded my reference board and added post-process volume, more detailed lighting, and localized fog volumes. Also scripted a few events that happens alongside with major mechanics.
I asked a few friends to test my level and provide feedback to help improve the design. From their input, I realized that my level was not as large as it needed to be to effectively tell my story. So, I began expanding the level by adding more areas, specifically a secret lab that emphasizes the idea of a hidden bioweapon production facility. I researched additional references for what a 'bioweapon' lab might look like. During this process, I also decided to add more optional pickups to help convey the story.
Quest Flow
The player and Ashley are chased by villagers and forced to retreat into the castle. The player will be greeted by enemies and they will need to defeat those enemies before they are free to explore. After the encounter, the player will be able to explore this new area (A research Archive for the cult). The player will find out that the door to the dinning hall is locked from this side.
Players will need to continue until they find the side door to a small locked archive area. To get in, the player will need to utilize Ashley to climb over to unlock the door. From there, the player will find a small crack in the wall, which leads to a hidden lab. An elevator is located inside the lab, players can choose to use it. Doing so will separate them with Ashley.(The elevator is broken and will fall downward. After exiting the elevator, the player will find themselves inside a dungeon that is used for experiments and used to lock up test subjects.
The player will need to find a way out. There are several key items in this area. A key lead that unlocked the way out, a special weapon that can kill Mr.X.
If the player chooses to go left, they will encounter Mr.X and a key that unlocks the way out. If the player chooses to go to the right, they can descend into a hole that contains a special weapon that can damage Mr.X.
After getting the key, the player can go back upstairs and find themselves up in the praying room located behind DOOR #1. Players can then go back to the Archive area and grab Ashley.
From here, the player can choose to go back down and do some more exploring or continue forward.
The player will then discover a secret lab and uncover secrets of this castle. Along the way, player will be able to pick up story pieces to learn more.
After going down the elevator, player will reach to the wine cellar/storage area and can now leave the area by boat.
Post-mortem
For this project, I planned before hand and did a lot of research on the game's gameplay and feel. And compared to my first whitebox project I feel more prepared when starting the blockout process. I also did more scripting to help the player to progress. I really think this new discovered workflow will help me when designing future projects.
Reference Board
