top of page
Design Archive
Documenting the design process behind each of my games. (Updated regularly)
Dec 2024
Level Design for Stealth Action-Adventure Game | Rifts: Shadow's Ascent
#LevelDesign #UE5 #StealthGame #ActionAdventure
Level Design Analysis - Split Fiction
Breaking Down the Final Level: Challenges and Learnings
Game Overview
Analysis of Split Fiction – Final Chapter (Level 8), an action-adventure title for PlayStation 5, Xbox, PC, and Switch. The document covers gameplay loops, spatial composition, combat design, and pacing.
Gameplay Loops
Core gameplay progression: Explore → Solve Puzzles → Traverse → Boss Combat → Return to Reality. Highlights the dual-world mechanic and cooperative screen-control system.
Key Emotional Moments & Pacing
Breakdown of emotional beats—curiosity, tension, excitement, and climax—mapped to new traversal and combat mechanics that drive intensity and communication between players.
Spatial and Visual Design
Analysis of hierarchy, color cues, and lighting logic. Contrasts between cold mechanical and warm mystical aesthetics guide player movement and reinforce immersion.
Spatial and Visual Design
Examples in the level.
Combat Arena Layout
Overview of the final boss arena—flat, open, and loop-based—to force mobility and exposure. Focused on fairness through consistent enemy vulnerability rather than pickups.
Enemy Archetypes & Grouping
Defines enemy roles: Radar (boss/controller), Fish Monster, Sawblade Drone, Mine Spawner, Summoned Giant, Laser Machine. Explains how layered threats maintain combat rhythm.
Combat Pacing & Intensity
Visualized intensity curve showing rhythm from unarmed survival to weapon phases. Alternating spikes and downtimes sustain tension and fairness in encounter flow.
Iteration & Improvement
Explores tuning through playtesting and proposes finale upgrades—arena collapse and fused mechanics—to strengthen climax pacing and make the final fight more memorable.
Game Overview
Analysis of Split Fiction – Final Chapter (Level 8), an action-adventure title for PlayStation 5, Xbox, PC, and Switch. The document covers gameplay loops, spatial composition, combat design, and pacing.
Gameplay Loops
Core gameplay progression: Explore → Solve Puzzles → Traverse → Boss Combat → Return to Reality. Highlights the dual-world mechanic and cooperative screen-control system.
Key Emotional Moments & Pacing
Breakdown of emotional beats—curiosity, tension, excitement, and climax—mapped to new traversal and combat mechanics that drive intensity and communication between players.
Spatial and Visual Design
Analysis of hierarchy, color cues, and lighting logic. Contrasts between cold mechanical and warm mystical aesthetics guide player movement and reinforce immersion.
Spatial and Visual Design
Examples in the level.
Combat Arena Layout
Overview of the final boss arena—flat, open, and loop-based—to force mobility and exposure. Focused on fairness through consistent enemy vulnerability rather than pickups.
Enemy Archetypes & Grouping
Defines enemy roles: Radar (boss/controller), Fish Monster, Sawblade Drone, Mine Spawner, Summoned Giant, Laser Machine. Explains how layered threats maintain combat rhythm.
Combat Pacing & Intensity
Visualized intensity curve showing rhythm from unarmed survival to weapon phases. Alternating spikes and downtimes sustain tension and fairness in encounter flow.
Iteration & Improvement
Explores tuning through playtesting and proposes finale upgrades—arena collapse and fused mechanics—to strengthen climax pacing and make the final fight more memorable.
Game Overview
Analysis of Split Fiction – Final Chapter (Level 8), an action-adventure title for PlayStation 5, Xbox, PC, and Switch. The document covers gameplay loops, spatial composition, combat design, and pacing.
Gameplay Loops
Core gameplay progression: Explore → Solve Puzzles → Traverse → Boss Combat → Return to Reality. Highlights the dual-world mechanic and cooperative screen-control system.
Key Emotional Moments & Pacing
Breakdown of emotional beats—curiosity, tension, excitement, and climax—mapped to new traversal and combat mechanics that drive intensity and communication between players.
Spatial and Visual Design
Analysis of hierarchy, color cues, and lighting logic. Contrasts between cold mechanical and warm mystical aesthetics guide player movement and reinforce immersion.
Spatial and Visual Design
Examples in the level.
Combat Arena Layout
Overview of the final boss arena—flat, open, and loop-based—to force mobility and exposure. Focused on fairness through consistent enemy vulnerability rather than pickups.
Enemy Archetypes & Grouping
Defines enemy roles: Radar (boss/controller), Fish Monster, Sawblade Drone, Mine Spawner, Summoned Giant, Laser Machine. Explains how layered threats maintain combat rhythm.
Combat Pacing & Intensity
Visualized intensity curve showing rhythm from unarmed survival to weapon phases. Alternating spikes and downtimes sustain tension and fairness in encounter flow.
Iteration & Improvement
Explores tuning through playtesting and proposes finale upgrades—arena collapse and fused mechanics—to strengthen climax pacing and make the final fight more memorable.
Game Overview
Analysis of Split Fiction – Final Chapter (Level 8), an action-adventure title for PlayStation 5, Xbox, PC, and Switch. The document covers gameplay loops, spatial composition, combat design, and pacing.
Gameplay Loops
Core gameplay progression: Explore → Solve Puzzles → Traverse → Boss Combat → Return to Reality. Highlights the dual-world mechanic and cooperative screen-control system.
Key Emotional Moments & Pacing
Breakdown of emotional beats—curiosity, tension, excitement, and climax—mapped to new traversal and combat mechanics that drive intensity and communication between players.
Spatial and Visual Design
Analysis of hierarchy, color cues, and lighting logic. Contrasts between cold mechanical and warm mystical aesthetics guide player movement and reinforce immersion.
Spatial and Visual Design
Examples in the level.
Combat Arena Layout
Overview of the final boss arena—flat, open, and loop-based—to force mobility and exposure. Focused on fairness through consistent enemy vulnerability rather than pickups.
Enemy Archetypes & Grouping
Defines enemy roles: Radar (boss/controller), Fish Monster, Sawblade Drone, Mine Spawner, Summoned Giant, Laser Machine. Explains how layered threats maintain combat rhythm.
Combat Pacing & Intensity
Visualized intensity curve showing rhythm from unarmed survival to weapon phases. Alternating spikes and downtimes sustain tension and fairness in encounter flow.
Iteration & Improvement
Explores tuning through playtesting and proposes finale upgrades—arena collapse and fused mechanics—to strengthen climax pacing and make the final fight more memorable.
1/9
Golden Path & Optional Path
How the level guides the player to go through the golden path with optional passages
Implicit & Explicit Guidance
How the level uses colors, foreshadowing, animation and sound to guide the player
Balance, Effectiveness & Improvement
Analysis of how different parts of the guidance work and suggestions for improvements
Golden Path & Optional Path
How the level guides the player to go through the golden path with optional passages
Implicit & Explicit Guidance
How the level uses colors, foreshadowing, animation and sound to guide the player
Balance, Effectiveness & Improvement
Analysis of how different parts of the guidance work and suggestions for improvements
Golden Path & Optional Path
How the level guides the player to go through the golden path with optional passages
Implicit & Explicit Guidance
How the level uses colors, foreshadowing, animation and sound to guide the player
Balance, Effectiveness & Improvement
Analysis of how different parts of the guidance work and suggestions for improvements
Golden Path & Optional Path
How the level guides the player to go through the golden path with optional passages
Implicit & Explicit Guidance
How the level uses colors, foreshadowing, animation and sound to guide the player
Balance, Effectiveness & Improvement
Analysis of how different parts of the guidance work and suggestions for improvements
Golden Path & Optional Path
How the level guides the player to go through the golden path with optional passages
Implicit & Explicit Guidance
How the level uses colors, foreshadowing, animation and sound to guide the player
Balance, Effectiveness & Improvement
Analysis of how different parts of the guidance work and suggestions for improvements
Golden Path & Optional Path
How the level guides the player to go through the golden path with optional passages
Implicit & Explicit Guidance
How the level uses colors, foreshadowing, animation and sound to guide the player
Balance, Effectiveness & Improvement
Analysis of how different parts of the guidance work and suggestions for improvements
Golden Path & Optional Path
How the level guides the player to go through the golden path with optional passages
Implicit & Explicit Guidance
How the level uses colors, foreshadowing, animation and sound to guide the player
Balance, Effectiveness & Improvement
Analysis of how different parts of the guidance work and suggestions for improvements
Golden Path & Optional Path
How the level guides the player to go through the golden path with optional passages
Implicit & Explicit Guidance
How the level uses colors, foreshadowing, animation and sound to guide the player
Balance, Effectiveness & Improvement
Analysis of how different parts of the guidance work and suggestions for improvements
Golden Path & Optional Path
How the level guides the player to go through the golden path with optional passages
Implicit & Explicit Guidance
How the level uses colors, foreshadowing, animation and sound to guide the player
Balance, Effectiveness & Improvement
Analysis of how different parts of the guidance work and suggestions for improvements
Golden Path & Optional Path
How the level guides the player to go through the golden path with optional passages
Implicit & Explicit Guidance
How the level uses colors, foreshadowing, animation and sound to guide the player
Balance, Effectiveness & Improvement
Analysis of how different parts of the guidance work and suggestions for improvements
1/3
Level Design Analysis - The Last of Us
Examine the Effective Use of Guidance in Level Design
bottom of page