Project Abaddon
Abaddon
Dark Souls Level
For this project, I created a level in the style of Dark Souls - a 3rd person action adventure style game. It takes place in an underground kingdom from an age long since lost to history.
Emphasis
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Combat Encounters
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Optional Content/Paths
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Shortcuts
Project Parameters
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Duration: 1.5 Weeks
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Team Size: 1
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Software: Unreal, Photoshop, Google docs
Level Gameplay
Mood Board, Research, Reference
I spent a good bit of time just gathering images that I found inspiring or that otherwise did a good job at conveying the mood of a space. I was paying more attention to compositions, lighting and the sense of claustrophobia that I think makes up some of the coolest levels in Dark Souls.
Design Process
Initial Design Thought Process
I began this level design by designing on text — a style I'd seen a level designer on Youtube express as a strong workflow. So I began by analyzing what tools I had at my disposal to create moments in the level.
Then I considered what I wanted the theme of the level to be - carefully considering the themes that seem reoccurring in Dark Souls.
I knew I wanted to emphasize player choice & exploration, so I handled those points simultaneously by creating numerous alternate paths with various encounters & or items in them.
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I decided to record down the sequence of the level to figure out what my 'beats' would be before jumping straight into a beat map. From here I'd go on to create a map of all the level beats.
Beat Map
Green is where the player begins
Orange is combat encounters
Blue is unique equips to find
Red is the boss & end of the level
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Blockout Process
During the blockout process, a sense of verticality and the revelation that spaces are much larger than they appear at a glance was very important to me. Therefore my process for this level in particular was to layer the areas that make up the greater level and create barriers that reveal and obfuscate parts that I wanted to reserve for exploration, hidden loot, alternate paths or pockets.
Hollow's Regret
Starting Area
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This is where the level begins. The entire area that isn't the direct entrance into the central structure (the crypt) is optional.
Including a large unique biome with different shapes, open space and unique lighting/post processing makes the optional content feel like more. To reinforce the impact of this area, I added some relatively difficult combat challenges in terms of the number of enemies, but it isn't as punishing as later sections due to the openness of the space.
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I wanted players to feel relatively secure in that they could see the dangers and choose whether or not to engage with the enemies.
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These enemies guard a couple unique armor pieces - a valuable reward for those who are brave enough to explore & take on the challenge
The Crypt Of Fallen Heroes
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The crypt is where there are the most branching paths... all of which ultimately lead into the next area - the catacombs. The enemy placement in this area is much meaner than in Hollow's Regret. This area is much more enshrouded in darkness, with enemies lurking around various corners... this is in stark contrast to Hollow's Regret. The blocks I use for the space also become more ragged & less overtly square, indicating the age and disarray, further setting it apart from the graveyard above.
Despite the dangers, the glow of items in difficult to reach places guides the player along, drawing them deeper into the darkness.
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In the event that players had skipped the optional aforementioned content, one enemy stands guard at the bottom of the stairs that lead down into the crypt, so give the player one fair chance at handling combat encounters.
Catacombs Of Old Gods
The catacombs are a bit of a downbeat with a tough mini-boss type enemy that's hides along an optional entrance underneath a stairway. This area is distinguished by the amassing of and detritus along the floor. Now the player is at the bottom of the crypt.
Pale blue & green light add to the sense that the space is slowly changing as the player descends.
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Gates of DarkenGrande
Boss Room
The hall that leads to the the boss room splits with one path leading towards to the boss and the other leading towards an elevator that takes the player back up to the entrance of the crypt.
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I really wanted a large, open boss arena to keep in line with Dark Souls and so the stage is flat, clearly defined and simple. It's a fair duel to the death in that sense. I was toying with the idea of utilizing plunging attacks or pillars to obstruct movement, but I found that a classic arena carried a bigger sense of weight visually.
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The boss is a giant who continues to hack away at the gates of Darkengrande, despite the city having long since fallen. It's implied this giant went hollow while besieging the gate an immeasurable number of years ago.
Design Decisions
Elevator Shortcut
Upon reaching the end of the level — in a path off to the side before the boss encounter, the player can activate an elevator to take themselves back to the start.
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This is an incredibly useful feature to discover because it gives the player access to their bonfire — the ability to save & replenish their HP on top of creating a shortcut back to the boss.
Unique Enemies
There are a few instances of unique enemies that more closely mimic the player's movements and abilities. Unlike weaker common hollows, some come with shields and suits of armor.
This is to keep the player on their toes & learn to adapt to varying enemy move sets.
Platforming
I decided to include two instances of platforming where the player would be rewarded for jumping to obtain an item. In both of these instances, the penalty for failing the jump is instant death (to keep in the spirit of Dark Souls).
The loot from both of these sections can also be accessed through extra exploration.
Elevator Guards
I put a relatively challenging encounter in the room at the bottom of the elevator so that once the player had unlocked the elevator, these enemies would respawn & provide at least one encounter — one place where the player might suffer damage before being able to challenge the boss.