Introduction
Vault design inspired by the game Immortals Fenyx Rising, similar to the shrines in Zelda BOTW or TOTK.
Immortals is an action-adventure game played from a third-person perspective and vaults are unique levels where players have to overcome a specific challenge.
My goal is to make a study of the vaults and build a blockout that could be implemented in the game, exploring a specific mechanic.
Project details
- • Personal project
- • Developed in 1 week (part-time)
- • Unreal Engine 5
- • Puzzle, platformer
- • Action-adventure
- • 3rd person
M
I’ve always wanted to design a secondary mission inspired by The Witcher with action RPG combat similar to Dark Souls.
- I also aimed to create a mission that would be memorable for players, unveiling a depth not initially expected and weaving an intriguing narrative.
Contact
email@domain.com
000-000-000
- Pre-production
Research
I started by researching the character, camera, and controls to better understand the gameplay context.
I created a list of player mechanics, interesting game elements, and their synergies to begin formulating possible levels.
After analyzing the existing vaults, I summarized my conclusions and compiled a brief list of what I liked the most and what could be improved.
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Level proposals
I designed three different level proposals, with three levels of difficulty.
I chose the first option, 'Disposable friend' because it challenged me to craft minimalistic yet engaging puzzles using a few gameplay elements and explore an underused dynamic in the game, burning crates.
Option 1
Option 2
Option 3
Bubble diagram
Finally, to design the pacing and narrow down the number of challenges, I created a bubble diagram that helped me define the design before starting to build.
- Blockout
Finding the mood
I began adjusting the lights, skybox, post-processing effects, and fog to achieve a similar aesthetic to the original IFR vaults.
I also adjusted the camera to achieve a similar behavior to the original. I even created a custom skybox using Spacescape.
Scripting
I implemented scripts via blueprints. The logic of each element is self-contained, with references to the objects for interaction. The player maintains a dynamic list of available entities that can be interacted with.
The interactive objects have visual and auditory feedback.
Dress
I made several aesthetic improvements to improve the environment’s readability.
These included placing soft lights on the edges of platforms and adding fog planes to provide depth.
Layout overview
Level breakdown
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Intensity chart
Puzzle pacing
Platforming pacing
Walkthrough
Closing thoughts
My primary challenge has been the lack of time to prototype mechanics. While I managed to prototype some of them, I couldn’t implement the ability to grab crates or Apollo’s Arrow, crucial mechanics needed to truly grasp the level’s feel.
Also, incorporating simple animations would make the environment feel more alive. Currently, it’s very static except when the puzzles are activated.
The circular layout of the puzzles and the diverse reuse of areas made players feel more comfortable navigating them and made the puzzles feel very cohesive while qualitatively extending the gameplay length.
Finally, I would like to iterate on the layout of the last challenge to create a non-linear puzzle where players can complete tasks in any order to solve them. This would break the linearity of the level, providing a refreshing touch at the end of the vault.