Level Designer
Made in 2019 (1 week project)
Solo project
First person action game
Created with Unreal Engine 4
Themes: Cyberpunk | Contrast | Violence
Pitch: A hitman has a mission which is to execute a high-level person named Janus in a futuristic dystopian society.
Varied guards will try to prevent him from reaching his target confined at the top of a tower.
Project: Janus
Concept
Project: Janus is a level design project I made in a week in which the player embodies a mysterious hitman in a futuristic universe. His last given mission consists of going to the top of a tower to assassinate an important well-known person, responsible for the dystopia caused between rich and poor in a megalopolis.
Designed with chosen contrasts to rhythm the level, the player is reminded of the differences between the two societies. The bloody fights progressively emphasize graphic violence.
"Don’t let anyone hinder your way and accomplish your mission."
Screenshots
In spite of appearances, rich and poor don't live in the same world.
The level design intentions highlight the determined contrasts between the two societies in an intelligible structural manner, through visuals, densities and symbolism. The environmental colors and "neon" aspect help to give the "retrowave/cyberpunk" interest for the level.
The different contrasts expressed through this level are:
- A semantic contrast which is represented by an alternation: poverty/wealth
- A pictorial aspect which is represented by an alternation: cold/hot colors
- A spatial aspect which is expressed by a graduation of the density of the space
Feel free to have a look at my level design document just below to get more information on the making of this level.
Level Design Document
What I've learned...
Never underestimate the scope of a level. When I first started this project, the scope of the level was much bigger, but I quickly realized that I would never finish building it in less than a week if I didn't cut parts of it.
Therefore, I adapted it mid-production to be able to still express my intentions and deliver it on time.
I learned that even building a small level already takes a lot of time: it is better to build chunks of it, test it and make changes on the paper level if needed. Building early also helps to have a better production time estimation.
Contrasts add big value to a level. Indeed, they give depth to a level, as they add better rhythm and storytelling which are more impacting for the player. To play with visual/sound elements, space, density, colors and so on are the tools to underline the different possible contrasts (pictorial, spatial and semantic).
I learned they are powerful tools for a level designer, as they can help a player to realize what were the main intentions behind its creation.