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Game Design · Level Design · Narrative Design

THE CRATER

Narrative-Driven Survival Action Adventure

The Crater title artwork with the yellow biohazard sign and game synopsis
Role
Game / Level / Narrative Designer
Engine
Unreal Engine 5
Platform
PC
Team
Solo Project
01

Project Overview

The Crater is a narrative-driven survival action-adventure game set in a devastated Los Angeles five years after a viral outbreak.

Players take the role of Ethan Xia, a former Marine searching for his missing family while navigating interconnected environments filled with infected creatures, hostile survivors, and traces of a collapsed society.

The project explores how environmental storytelling, limited resources, and spatial guidance can create emotional tension without relying heavily on UI or explicit objective markers.

02

My Role & Contribution

  • Narrative & Level Design
  • Environmental Storytelling
  • Gameplay & Interaction Design
  • Whitebox Implementation
  • Playtesting & Iteration
03

Design Goals

Design Pillars

01

Environmental Storytelling

Let the environment communicate narrative instead of relying primarily on exposition.

Environmental Storytelling · Prototype clip
A flooded whitebox street viewed from a collapsed upper route
01 / 04A flooded whitebox street viewed from a collapsed upper routeFull image

Image directory

1–4 of 4
02

Immersive Guidance

Guide players through lighting, composition, sound, and object placement rather than mini-maps and objective markers.

Immersive Guidance · Prototype clip
Torchlight revealing objects along a narrow passage
01 / 02Torchlight revealing objects along a narrow passageFull image

Image directory

1–2 of 2
03

Grounded Survival

Create tension through limited resources, close-range encounters, exploration, and deliberate pacing.

Grounded Survival · Prototype clip
A combat encounter across stepped platforms
01 / 02A combat encounter across stepped platformsFull image

Image directory

1–2 of 2
04

Core Gameplay

  • Explore semi-open pocket areas
  • Manage limited resources
  • Move objects / open routes / interact with environment
The Crater prototype interaction examples and core gameplay mechanics
Interaction & core mechanics · Project deck, page 3
05

Level Design

Level Flow Chart

Workbenches, blocked corridors, collapsed structures, and abandoned personal belongings all communicate narrative meaning while shaping the player’s route.

Opening and first scene walkthrough with route, sightline, and pacing annotations
Game opening & scene 1 · Project deck, page 6
The Crater walkthrough charts and prototype scenes for stages 2 and 3
Scenes 2–3 · Project deck, page 7
The Crater walkthrough charts and prototype scenes for stages 4 and 5
Scenes 4–5 · Project deck, page 8
06

Environmental Guidance

Light & Shadow
Bright areas guide progression.
Spatial Composition
Architecture and sightlines frame destinations.
Environmental Storytelling
Objects and ruins communicate story without interrupting gameplay.
The Crater enemy design and examples of guidance through lighting and spatial composition
Enemies & environmental guidance · Project deck, page 5
07

Design Process

  1. 01Concept & Level Flow
  2. 02Whiteboxing
  3. 03Gameplay & Environmental Guidance
  4. 04Playtesting & Iteration
Whitebox screenshots showing ruins, ladders, blocked routes, and traversable passages
Whitebox level elements & path tools · Project deck, page 4
08

Challenges + Iteration

Guiding the Player Without UI

Problem

How can players understand where to go without objective markers?

Solution

Lighting, sightlines, environmental objects, and spatial composition.

I repeatedly revised enemy placement, traversal routes, and lighting cues to guide players without relying on UI. Playtesting showed that the emotional intensity of certain moments needed better preparation. In response, I refined the introduction, adjusted pacing, and clarified environmental signals to support the psychological rhythm of the experience.

Environment
Lighting
Combat
09

Gameplay Video

The gameplay video submitted with this application presents a captured walkthrough of the prototype level, demonstrating the interaction loop, combat rhythm, and environmental guidance in motion.

Video source
View Full Project Deck (PDF)
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