Level Design — Uncharted

As part of my professional degree, I was required to create two levels for an action-adventure game. Having recently finished several games, I decided to draw inspiration from the Uncharted series. The objective was to design a stealth level and a combat level. After considering the different games in the series, I noticed that the Asian setting was not extensively explored. I then conducted research to find ancient structures that could serve as settings for these levels.

This led me to the Yonaguni underwater structure, located at the southern tip of the island of the same name in Japan’s Ryukyu Archipelago. I drew inspiration from this discovery to create my combat level and define Nathan's objective. During my research, I also came across Japanese legends and myths, such as the story of Amaterasu, who locked herself in a cave after a dispute with her brother Susanoo. I thought that a cave would be an excellent choice for a stealth area.

Choosing a cave level seemed logical for accessing an underwater structure. The cave features multiple elevation levels. To maintain an underwater logic, the lower areas are flooded, requiring Nathan to swim through them. The higher areas are occupied by the level’s most significant enemies. Collectible items related to the area’s story are scattered throughout the level. Since it’s a stealth level, various structures and objects were placed to allow Nathan to hide from enemy patrols.

Before reaching the temple, Nathan must navigate a submerged passage by swimming and climbing slippery walls. Upon arriving at the temple, Nathan sets aside his diving gear and must solve a puzzle: finding a way to balance the water level in each basin. After solving the puzzle and retrieving the artifact, the temple is assaulted by enemies. This causes irreversible damage to the temple, which begins to collapse and flood.

Nathan must then escape the temple while fighting his way through enemies to retrieve his diving gear. With his original path blocked by the collapse, new routes open up thanks to fallen statues and other debris. Nathan manages to recover his gear and escape the enemies, but the temple ultimately collapses and floods entirely. Nathan is finally rescued at the surface by his lifelong friend, Sully.
Software used:

Documents

During the course of this project, several deliverables were produced in parallel to structure and document the design process. Bubble diagrams are visual representations of the ideas present in a zone or level. They help to organize and structure these ideas before moving on to a more detailed planning phase.
Layouts have also been produced: they offer a top-down view of the level, without textures, while integrating essential information relating to gameplay and level structure. The Level Design Documents (LDD) complete these supports. They detail the levels' narrative, objectives, design choices and inspirations. They also include the other documents mentioned above, centralized for a better understanding of the creation process.
Layout Cave Layout Temple LDD LDD 2