Crimson isle
A first Person combat & explorer Adventure
Introduction
For this piece, my goal was to create an open map, encouraging exploration and discoverbility. You play as the brother of a journalist who has gone missing while investigating a remote island: an eerie and mysterious place at the heart of a vast lake, rumored to be home to a deadly cult. With little to no help from the police, you take matters into your own hands, securing a boat and venturing into the unknown, prepeared for whatever lurks beyond the shore.
cult enemies
exploration
storytelling
Breakdown
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4 weeks half-time (4 hours/day)
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Made using Unreal Engine 5.5
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Focus on Enemy Encounters, Storytelling and Exploration​
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I used the Blockout Tools Plugin for my blockout and Mixamo Animations for my player/enemies
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All other scripts and assets are made by me using Blueprints and Blender.​​
Overview
graveyard
sanctuary hub
backhouse
hut
gathering hall
front yard
belltower
prison cell
flowchart
level walkthrough
The player starts by the shore of the island, going up grand stairs, they notice the belltower ringing and some lights that are suspiciously flashing towards the player. A small crowd of red-cloaked people stand nearby. Soon they walk towards the central hub, baiting the player to follow them into it.
I focused on funneling the player to the hub in the beginning, before branching off into all other areas of the map. It all funnels back to the hub and shore again, which helped build narrative and tension as well as being the game-loop of the experience.​
player start
"Upon the earth where sorrow lingers,
I trace thee ghost beyond crimson thread.
By water's edge, feel its cold fingers
Through faded halls where shadows bled"
sanctuary hub
When entering the Sanctuary Hub, the player finds cultists praying at a sacrificial altar. Being distracted, the player can take advantage of the situation and get the jump on the them, introducing combat and establishing the island’s enemy narrative.
Behind the altar, grand doors lead to the belltower, the main objective. Though they are locked, requiring the Master Key.
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On the other side, a damaged portrait of the cult’s deceased leader, with a cryptic riddle, hints at the location of the leader's grave and the Master Key he's guarding. It can be fixed using its missing piece.
Exiting the hub, the map branches into paths to explore.
gathering hall
The player enters the building through a broken window, drawn by the movement of curtains. Inside, they face enemies and find a missing portrait piece along with ammo. After clearing rubble to unblock the exit, they create a new path to the Front Yard. ​​
graveyard
The graveyard plays a key role later in the experience, serving as the resting place for both cultists and their leader.
By solving the riddle back in the hub and fixing the portrait, the player is guided to the graveyard. Looking for the flowing red fabric, the leader's hidden grave can be found behind it and dug up if the player has found a shovel.​
the backhouse
To dig up the leader's grave, the player will need a shovel, which can be found inside the backhouse. However, the building is locked, needing a special key to open.
tHE HUT
The hut, hidden deep in the woods, is reached by following a trail near the backhouse.
Inside, the player finds the backhouse key along with some ammo, useful for the nearby lurking enemies.
the cultists
The cult enemies are essential to establishing the level’s tension, pacing, and player engagement.
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Upon arrival, the player catches glimpses of red cloaks in the distance, promoting exploration. It’s not until they step into the Sanctuary that they come face-to-face with the cultists, introducing the first combat encounter.
= Enemy Encounters
As the player progresses, enemy placements are thoughtfully designed to create emergent gameplay and risk versus reward decisions.
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Some Point of interests are also structured as combat arenas, to ensure that they feel meaningful and reward progression, as players must fight to uncover clues and advance.
At the Belltower, the player discover their imprisoned brother who had been ringing the bell and flashing lights as a distress signal in the beginning of the level. From the tower’s vantage point, they witness cult reinforcements approaching by boat, raising the stakes.
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The final sequence pushes the player into a high-intensity battle back to the dock, giving a climactic release of the tension built throughout the experience.
process
building from real life reference
pre-production
When stumbling across Bled Island in Slovenia, I saw its potential as the perfect setting for a level. Inspired, I started writing down the narrative and overall theme.
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To organize my ideas, I created a Miro board, mapping out environmental puzzles, enemy behavior, level beats, and callouts.
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Sketching the actual map went pretty smoothly. I took much reference from the real island and changed areas that would fit my gameplay. For instance, following the 10-second rule to fit my pacing, I split up the long and tedious stairs going up from the docks.
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final sketch
Blockout
Exploring the island through Google Maps helped me establish the scale for my blockout.
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Once my first iteration blockout was complete, I focused on creating essential blockout meshes, an FPS system, and other scripts while continuously playtesting and iterating.
To better streamline my process, I reused some assets from my previous projects and improved my AI to better suit the level's combat.
reflections
Working on this project was both fun and educational, teaching me how to design a "show-don't-tell" experience that encourages exploration and engaging combat.
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One of the biggest challenges I faced was guiding players in an open level. I experimented with different methods and refined sightlines through extensive playtesting. While guiding the player to locations in a specific order helped keep players on track, some preferred free exploration. Given more time, I would have focused on rewarding different playstyles to enhance the non-linear experience.
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Additionally, introducing a ranged enemy type could have improved combat by making encounters more dynamic. A ranged enemy would have encouraged strategic play and allowed more complex combat arenas.
Overall, this project was incredibly rewarding, and I’m proud of the result.
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Thank you for reading!