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The Screaming Night
This project was made in three weeks using Unreal Engine.
Players will learn how to properly allocate props and experience the joy of defeating enemies with weapons and dodge skills in a Soul-like game.
Role
Platform
Genre
Solo Project
Unreal Engine 4
Action-adventure, puzzle
Video Walkthrough
Early Design Thoughts
It is a soul-like game with 2 puzzles and several combat areas. It tells a short story about an adventure of a brave soldier who is going to kill the devil, who lives on a mountain, to save the villagers and take an act of revenge.
I was inspired by the level design of Zelda.
Map & Game Flow
Map
I was thinking of a game in which ordinary collection equipment becomes stronger and contains monster fighting content. But that is a lack of excitement. So I divided the game into three areas. The first piece is a simple fighting area, I want players to get used to some simple fighting skills and practice killing the enemies in this area.
Players will then get some equipment that can strengthen their own stats. And the first area also has a straightforward puzzle. Mainly for being a tutorial.
The second part tells more about the story of the game, telling why the player wants to kill the monster. I want to make players feel more immersive about this character. Players will follow the road to the woods to trigger an animation that tells the story.
The third part is composed of a simple battle area and a decryption part, which announces that the player is about to enter the boss area. And added the story to the player to make the game storyline more complete.
Game Flow & Playtest
In the beginning, I didn't have a lot of sound in the scene, which caused the animation to be a bit awkward when displayed. My players wanted more animations and sound effects to make the game more interesting.
The first part and the second part were not separated at the beginning, and the player would have a chance to walk directly into the second area, so I modified it to only solve the puzzle of the first part to trigger the animation of repairing the broken bridge and enter the latter part. Path leading got great advice.
Level Walkthrough
Statue
Status is the guide for players.
Players will get their first weapon -- a sword. The statue tells some basic information about the game and gives some basic equipment. Since it is the first NPC in the game, its role is to pave the tone of the entire game when the player knows nothing about this game.
Puzzles
Puzzles are not the most important part of Soul-like games so I didn't make puzzles that complex to figure out. Before the battle with the final boss, players find the answer by observing and searching the scene more carefully and deeply.
Path
This scene has fewer architects and enemies. Players will follow this slightly sunken road into the depths of the game scene. Compared to the previous tight and fierce battle, here is a delicate part.
Combat
This is the first combat area in the whole picture. There were about three regular soldiers and one shooter. I want my players to master basic fighting skills here, teaching them how to lock onto enemies, dodge, attack, collect prizes and restore health. So this part is more like a tutorial.
Light & Color
The whole game is off because I want to use the light as a kind of indication of the direction the player is moving. Players will take the initiative to walk over to take a look when they encounter a bright place. So I placed light sources in the woods to lead the player to the bamboo forest for more information.
Environment
I designed the scene to be dark and did not use any lively colors, in order to make the player feel more immersed in the story. Because the story takes place in a mountain village a long time ago, the weapons and some basic decoration styles are very old. I want players to feel that the decoration of this scene is very reasonable, and it also has a sense of substitution.
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