BELOW

Summary

Intent

Designed as an opening sequence, the level introduces the player to the world and tone through spatial progression and gradual environmental reveals.

Pitch

“You awaken beside your bathtub in a dark cave, the broken remains of your bathroom ceiling visible above. Something ancient stirs below”

Tools

Unreal Engine 5
Blender
Adobe Substance 3D Painter
Aseprite
Photoshop

Time

2 weeks of pre-production
5 weeks of production

TOP-DOWN:

Progression and Key Beats

1. Awakening
The player wakes up beside a bathtub in a dark cave. The opening establishes the mystery and encourages the player to observe their surroundings and examine nearby objects.

2. First Descent
A narrow passage leads the player downward. A faint light in the distance pulls the player forward and deeper into the cave.

3. First Vista
The space opens up, giving the player an overview of the area. In the distance, the head of a massive statue becomes visible, establishing a long-term goal. Along the way, the player encounters a large fish skeleton and an oversized mushroom that can be examined.

4. Expanding Space
As the player approaches the statue, the cave opens up vertically and becomes more spacious. In the distance, pillars near a cave opening hint at the next objective. The player navigates narrow ledges, climbs over a fallen pillar, and reaches a point where a pillar must be toppled to create a path forward.

5. The Flooded Passage
Near the cave opening, the player finds what appears to be human remains. The path continues through a flooded tunnel filled with seaweed, creating a slower and more claustrophobic sequence.

6. The Poseidon Chamber
The player enters a large chamber dominated by a dramatic statue. A gate inside the statue’s mouth blocks the way forward. Pulling a lever raises the gate and unfolds a bridge leading into the statue’s mouth — crossing into the unknown.

Design:

Narrative

Rather than telling a complete story, the level establishes a premise — suggesting a larger story through atmosphere, pacing, and environmental storytelling.

The level is structured as a descent into the unknown, inspired by the idea of katabasis. A bathtub fallen through the floor marks the player’s entry into an unfamiliar world, where the only apparent path leads further inward.

The journey culminates as the player steps into the gaping mouth of a massive Poseidon statue, marking the crossing into the unknown.

Player Guidance

As the player moves through the level, the environment unfolds through a series of carefully staged reveals. The images below illustrate how the space gradually reveals itself as the player progresses.

The goal is not simply to direct the player, but to build curiosity and anticipation, making forward movement feel like the natural choice.

Guiding Light

Gradual Reveal

A recurring method throughout the level is to provide the player with a partial glimpse of the next space while deliberately withholding a complete view.

Long-Term and Short-Term Goals

1. The statue’s head initially draws the player’s attention.

2. Reaching it requires the player to descend into the lower area first.

Once the player is granted a full overview of the room, I hint at the next scene in the distance, establishing both a short-term and a long-term goal. The space is constructed so that the player must move down into a pit in order to reach the distant objective.

Immediate Space

While inside the pit, the player becomes more enclosed, allowing them to focus on the immediate space they occupy — while still carrying the awareness that something of interest awaits beyond the ridge.

Expanding Space

As the player reaches the statue, the space opens up.
A new pillar appears in the periphery, continuing the visual guidance, while the cliff edge introduces a sense of openness and unease.

Player Presence and Embodiment:

Throughout the level, the player encounters environmental interactions designed to reinforce presence and scale within the space.

Ancient statues and pillars, large fish bones, and glowing mushrooms invite the player to move closer, encouraging curiosity and a sense of inhabiting the environment rather than merely observing it.

Some objects can be examined more closely. When the player interacts with them, short textual fragments are revealed.

These moments allow the player to slow down and observe, encouraging curiosity and a stronger sense of inhabiting the space.

The level features interactive objects. At one point, the player must topple a pillar to create a bridge across a chasm, reinforcing a sense of physical involvement in the environment rather than simply observing it.

Extra attention was given to feedback, with camera shake and falling debris emphasizing the impact of the action and the player’s ability to affect the world.

Beyond spatial structure, a central intention was to introduce a subtle sense of discomfort.

The level begins beside a bathtub, suggesting the player character is naked — but also clean. The environment they now inhabit is damp, cold, and muddy, creating an immediate contrast.

Later, the player is forced through a dark tunnel filled with seaweed and algae before finally entering the gaping mouth of a threatening statue. The path forward is meant to push the player into acting against their better judgment.

Process:

Research and Exploration:

I began the project with a loose idea and spent the first two weeks exploring different directions before committing to a final concept.

Concepts

From the beginning, I aimed to create a damp, mossy environment with a restrained color palette where natural formations blend with architectural elements. References such as Roman baths helped shape the relationship between water, stone, and structure.

Early puzzle ideas inspired by ancient Greek steam mechanisms were later removed, allowing the project to focus on atmosphere, spatial composition, and environmental storytelling.

Visual Experimentation

Alongside early sketches, I began blocking out rooms and modeling and texturing a small set of assets, experimenting with materials and stylized pixel textures. The project offered a chance to explore the visual direction of the environment more freely.

Building the level:

As the blockout evolved, the level gradually shifted toward a cave-like environment where ancient architectural elements are introduced step by step. Testing a room built around a strong player viewpoint helped clarify the direction of the project: a descent into a subterranean space, guided by atmosphere, spatial composition, and subtle narrative.

As the level expanded, I continued blocking out larger spaces, creating additional assets when needed while keeping the underlying geometry simple.

I began by creating a small kit of reusable base forms in Blender, which formed the foundation of the cave environment.

Using this kit of reusable forms, I began assembling rooms in Unreal, using rock formations to define the playable boundaries.

Iteration:

Example of iteration: The initial layout directed the player’s view into a wall rather than toward the cave opening beside the pillar. Adding a few steps raised the player’s viewpoint, redirecting attention toward the cave. Later, this moment was reinforced with bats emerging from the opening.

When new needs emerged, I created additional assets, but my goal remained to keep the underlying geometry simple and controlled, allowing the overall space to feel organic rather than engineered.

Closing Thoughts:

Designed as an opening sequence, the level introduces the tone and spatial language of the world while hinting at directions that could be explored further.

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