All breakdowns

Cursebreaker: Bringer of Death

2023 · Team project at KPU · 10 weeks · Unreal Engine 5

A sunlit sandy path through the Cliffs, passing wooden supports toward a glowing marker.

A fantasy action-RPG level with souls-like combat, made with my team for our final-term project in the Advanced Game Design course at Kwantlen Polytechnic University (KPU). My goal was a memorable level that unveils new abilities as players progress and draws them into a captivating story.

My part: level design, combat spaces and lighting. I also helped with the post-process materials and the game design.

Pre-production

References

I gathered references for landmarks, environments, rooms and traps, as both reference material and inspiration. I compiled everything in PureRef into a one-page board that became the foundation for the level.

A PureRef board of reference images for landmarks, environments, rooms and traps.

Story

Ajay is back to fight the dead, but this time his goal is far more personal: saving the life of a loved one.

Points of interest

2D layout

The 2D layout map of the level, from the tutorial area to the Golem Temple.

Production

Understanding metrics

To nail the metrics, I built a gym out of default Unreal shapes and scattered markers around it, using the Unreal mannequin for scale. Once the metrics felt right, I blocked out a rough 3D mock-up of the whole level, start to finish.

Combat spaces

It's a hack-and-slash fest that pushes players into fights, but the combat spaces reward diverse strategies: vantage points, hidden traps and secret healing items all give players options.

Top-down view of a combat space: the player on high ground above enemies, traps and bones.

Platforming areas

Platforming is the main way to traverse the entire map. There are hidden areas and vantage points that can only be reached by platforming.

The player walks a sandy path toward rock ledges, with an enemy waiting on the platform above.

Feedback session

Once the greybox was complete, I shared the level with instructors and classmates for feedback on platforming feel, narrative, combat and AI.

Set dressing

After a week of feedback and iteration, the greybox was locked and ready for set dressing. I mainly used Synty Studios' Dungeon pack, which had every asset I needed to populate the level the way my teammates and I wanted.

A view from high ground across the set-dressed canyon toward the next landmarks.
From high ground, the next landmarks are always in view.
Looking out of a cave mouth onto a grassy path with a campfire, framed by trees and canyon walls.

Level flow

Layout overview

The route through six areas: the Entrance, the Plains, the Cliffs and the Cave, then down into the Ruins and on to the Golem Temple.

The layout is linear, with secret areas reached by platforming. Each point of interest has exploration beats that reward the player with loot or story moments that expand on Ajay's adventure, and every area ends in a boss fight or an arena fight.

Intensity

Intensity chart: dropping from the Plains to a low in the Cliffs, slightly higher in the Cave, peaking in the Ruins and staying high at the Golem Temple.
Intensity dips through the Cliffs and Cave, then peaks in the Ruins and stays high into the Golem Temple.

Narrative pacing

Narrative pacing chart: easing down from the Plains through the Cliffs to a low in the Cave, rising through the Ruins to its highest point at the Golem Temple.
Story beats ease off through the Cliffs to a low in the Cave, then build through the Ruins to their highest point at the Golem Temple.

Combat pacing

Combat pacing chart: easing down from the Plains to its lowest in the Cave, peaking in the Ruins and easing slightly at the Golem Temple.
Combat drops to its lowest in the Cave, peaks in the Ruins, and eases slightly for the Golem Temple.

Closing thoughts

This was one of the biggest projects my team and I made during the course. With 10 weeks, we tried to fit in as much as we could to show off everyone's skills. It took two to three weeks of experimenting, several one-pagers and a few blockouts to land on a story and concept we were excited about. Despite the frustrating start, I'm really pleased with the result.

With more time, I'd make the cave-to-ruins connection larger and more interesting: after set dressing, the stretch between the two mid-bosses feels too short.

I'd also add a small hub area to give players more to explore and more rewards to unlock.