top of page
BeautyShot1.png

Game Design Project Graded at 100%

NightBreed Logo

Game Trailer

Post-Mortem

In Nightbreed, the player has been exiled from their castle and must fight to take it back through completing puzzles & platforming challenges on each floor.

Date
Role
Platform
Team Size
Project

20th February - 12th May 2023
Game Designer
Unreal Engine 5
Solo
Game Design & Development Module

Key Highlights

Nightbreed Gameplay

Metroidvania Stat & Level Progression System

I iterated on the forumla which is used in-game to calculate gameplay values such as Physical Damage and Damage Taken. The player is encouraged to get even stronger through the Extrinsic Motivation of levelling up.
Puzzle Gameplay

Interconnected Rooms Level Design

Metroidvania games have a focus on Levels which goad the player into re-visiting areas later in the game with new abilities. I have emulated this in my level with areas that reward players for coming back with power-ups.
Character Control

Movement-Based Parkour Mechanics

I designed the player's fluid movement to give players many ways to face platforming challenges. Parkour mechanics like the Air Dodge & Wall Climb also support players who explore to find secrets.
WOW Moment

Creating WOW Moments through Pacing & Sound

I focused a lot on the Game Feel of this project, this was mainly through the use of sound which added weight to enemy attacks and pacing the character's levelling so each fight is possible, but also a challenge.

Project Overview

This was my first Design Project where I had full creative control over the direction I wanted to take with the framework and cemented a lot of the Design Workflows which I have stuck to even today. Nightbreed was also my first 2.5D Game which brought some unique Design Challenges which I hadn't considered before, such as the Camera Behaviour and Level Design which seamlessly flows between sections.

What I Learned

  • How to use Unreal Engine's Lumen Lighting System.
  • Highlight important areas of a level & Create Affordance through the Contrast of Well Lit/Dark Level Elements.
  • The different rules of creating Game Formula (Linear, Exponential, etc) and how they can effect Game Elements.
  • The Importance of Game Polish & Feedback from mechanics to encourage the player to make use of them and to create more consistent theming throughout the Level.
  • How to use the Unreal Optimisation Viewmodes to ensure the game will run at good speed and no particular Meshes/Lights are severely effecting the game's performance.
  • Animation Blueprints, Montages, Sockets and other systems which Unreal Engine 5 uses to allow Designers to implement Character Animations in the game.

Game Design

  • Systems Design

    • Iterated on Forumlas to calculate Damage, Speed and other gameplay-statistics which are effected by Character Statistics (Strength, Agility, etc)

      • h​

    • Implemented a Simple Logarithmic Equation (L^2 + 1000) so the player  must continue challenging themselves to fight stronger enemies to continue levelling up

      • q

    • Worked these Forumlae into the Engine through a Character Stats Data Table & Structures, with Pick-Ups & Levelling improving the Character's Statistics

  • Gameplay Design

    • Focused on the Player's Platforming & Movement mechanics by developing a Rope Swing, Air Dash & Slide to give the player many options when handling new traps & enemies

      • h

    • Included & Worked Upon the conventions of the MetroidVania genre to keep the experience true to what a fan of the genre would expect with its own focus on Fluid Movement through Levels​

      • h
    • Created new UI Widgets to add context to the progression mechanics & ​Added new sound effects in order to add more of a gothic & fantasy theme to the game​

  • Technical Design

    • Created a new Camera System so the camera is always focused on the direction the player is heading, allowing them to see more of the dangers they face​​

      • aa​

    • Worked with a Pre-Existing Framework to add more depth to the gameplay, such as adding more phases to the boss fight & adding custom behaviour to the standard enemies

Progression Chart
Enemy AI
Physical Damage

Skills Used

BeautyShot1.png
HighresScreenshot00001_edited.jpg

Inspirations

Castlevania 2: Simon's Quest​

  • Vertical-Focused Level Design with the player ascending up towers with Enemies placed specifically to challenge the Player's Platforming & Combat skills 

    • a

  • Introducing different enemies for each new section of the game so every level has its own unique challenges

    • a​

  • Implementing a simple RPG Stat System (Strength, Defence, Intelligence, etc) which are improved through Experience-Based Levelling

TeslaGrad

  • Focus on Creating challenge through Platforming, Climbing & Dodging traps in the levels

    • a​

  • Setting up objectives & puzzles which must be completed before the player can continue in the Levelaaaa​​​

  • Boss Battle at the end of the Level to test the player's proficiency with the Skills they've gained and the mechanics they've learned throughout the section

Ori and the Blind Forest

  • Classic Metroidvania progression of gaining new abilities as the player explores more of the map

    • ​h

  • Scattering pick-ups throughout the level which encourage players to face harder challenges in return for improving their character's stats.

Level Design
Design Documentation
Structures In Unreal

Contact Me Below

  • alt.text.label.LinkedIn
  • Itch Icon
  • Email Icon
bottom of page