Below

An atmospheric level focused on player guidance
(contains music)

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 in a strange place and is encouraged to look around and observe.

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. Something in the distance
The space opens up, revealing a distant statue that becomes a landmark and reference point for the player.

4. Distant Statue
The player reaches a ridge overlooking the statue, where a small event emphasizes the scale of the cavern, while distant pillars and structures hint at the path forward.

5. Pillar as Bridge
After crossing a fallen pillar, the player has to push over another pillar to create a bridge to a higher ledge near a cave opening.

6. Flooded Passage
Near the cave opening, human remains lead the player into a flooded tunnel, creating a slower, more claustrophobic sequence.

7. The Poseidon Chamber
The player enters a large chamber dominated by a statue. A gate blocks the way forward. Pulling a lever raises the gate and unfolds a bridge 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 staged reveals. The images 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

Light is used to guide the player and highlight points of interest in the environment.

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.

Interaction and Player Engagement

Beyond guidance, the level encourages the player to engage with the environment through curiosity, interaction, and moments of discomfort that push the player forward.

Some objects can be examined more closely. Interacting with them reveals short textual fragments, encouraging the player to slow down, observe, and engage with the environment.

The level features interactive objects, such as toppling a pillar to create a bridge. Camera shake and falling debris emphasize the impact of the action and the player’s ability to affect the world.

The level introduces a subtle sense of discomfort through contrast and progression — from the clean bathtub in a damp cave, to a dark flooded tunnel, and finally entering the mouth of a threatening statue, pushing the player to move forward 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 mood, spatial composition, and environmental storytelling.

Visual Experimentation

Alongside early sketches, I began building rooms, 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:

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.

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

Iteration

The initial layout directed the player’s view into a wall, pulling attention away from the cave opening above.
Reshaping the path into steps lifted the player’s viewpoint, guiding their gaze upward.
This was also reinforced with a bat event  from the opening.

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.

During this project, I also began experimenting with a more defined visual identity, using pixelated textures, simple geometry, and sprite-based animations. This created a visual style that I would be interested in exploring further, both aesthetically and as part of the gameplay and player experience.

In a larger project, this world could be expanded with additional mechanics, puzzles, and challenges, building on the same principles of player guidance, environmental storytelling, and gradual progression.