Summary
Inspired by Firewatch, you are tasked with keeping the area safe from fires and any other dangers that might arise. What begins as an afternoon adventure soon takes a wrong turn… This level places strong emphasis on narrative, much like Firewatch. The player is not only guided through the environment but also receives context about the area and its story. It is designed as a tutorial that introduces basic mechanics such as jumping, crouching, and interacting while establishing the mood for the rest of the game.
In designing the level, I aimed to showcase some level design techniques and to connect the fiction with the mechanics, creating a more believable and cohesive experience.
Narrative Context
In pre-production I always start by asking questions to define the level characteristics.
References and Inspirations
- My main inspiration came from my home country Greece and its vastly unexplored environments. I wanted to showcase real life locations to achieve realism.
Mechanics / Design Goals
Mechanics:
- Jump
- Crouch
- Interact
Design Goals:
- Emotional Pacing : Calm → Curiosity → Tension → Isolation.
- Narrative-Driven Guidance : In this level, beyond providing guiding methods like leading lines, logs and trees, I also aimed to direct the player through the voice on the radio. The voice not only guides but also warns the player as they explore, something I found particularly interesting to design and integrate.
- Intended Experience : Narrative plays a key role in shaping the world and the emotions the player experiences throughout the level. It begins with a calm atmosphere and a pleasant conversation, gradually becoming more mysterious as the story unfolds.
Top Down Layout
Level Walkthrough
Beat 1 : Safety
- Radio introduces objective
- Vista reveals full playable area
- Guided shortcut via narrative
- Jump tutorial with safety net
- One-way valve progression
Beat 2 : Rising Tension
- Smoke reveals objective
- Locked gate puzzle
- Environmental framing guides player
- Breached building discovery
- Climb traversal moment
Beat 3 : Isolation
- Radio silence
- Environmental storytelling via props
- Crouch mechanic used narratively
- Gunshot tension escalation
Final Thoughts
- The player starts at a high elevation and gradually descends. This is to showcase the emotional state of the avatar and the dark turn that the story takes.
This project showed me how crucial real life inspiration is, how emotions define the experience and the emotional impact Level Design can create. As I move forward with my first steps, my goal is to keep iterating and exploring creative methods to introduce new emotions and evoke them effectively.