Unreal | September 2023 - November 2023
Crypt of the Necromancer
Level Designer
Crypt of the Necromancer is a 3rd-person Action Adventure game, Starting with a base project with character controls and assets I was tasked with designing a 10-minute experience containing platforming, puzzle, and combat sections.
Design Process
When deciding what to make my game about I started by looking at the assets and player movement given to me, after getting an idea of the possible scenarios I could make, I made a basic storyline that took the player through 3 distinct areas around the theme of going down to the tomb of a sealed necromancer, challenging the player in different ways.
Level design process
Combat
As a final challenge, players finally enter the Necromancer Chambers, where they will be challenged in previously challenged skills and combat.
The fight was designed around 3 gems that the Necromancer carried, players had to see what was happening and figure out how to stop it by breaking the gems.
For the first phase, players had to destroy a green gem protected by the necromancer skeletons that kept spawning until the gem was broken.
For the second phase, the necromancer engaged in melee combat but was immune to player attacks, until the yellow gem in their back was broken, players had to figure out the attack patterns and get to the back of the enemy
For the final phase, the necromancer enchants 2 red gems on opposite sides of the room, turning the floor into lava, players had to use their platforming skills to reach the gems and destroy them to finish the combat and win the game.
Puzzle
For the Puzzle Section players found themselves in front of the gates to an underground cemetery with a river. The puzzle mechanics were designed around “wet” and “dry” mechanics that I created utilizing visual scripting. Players had to help the skeletons and spirits around the cemetery to gain access to the Necromancer chambers. Players had to find objects and interact with them utilizing the wet and dry mechanics in different ways, and bringing them back to their owners to gain their favor.
Platforming
For the platforming section, the players had to go down a broken elevator shaft, they had to jump to various platforms hanging from the walls until getting to the bottom, adding a couple of secret chests in areas that challenged players in their platforming skills.