Rise Of The Shogun

Project Overview

Rise Of The Shogun — A solo action‑adventure level built to demonstrate pacing, exploration, and player choice through environmental design and gameplay mechanics.

Role: Lead Level Designer (Solo Project)
Responsibilities: Level layout, gameplay scripting, map blockout, asset placement, pacing, and environmental storytelling.
Design Goals
Player Choice & Agency:
  • Allow players to select their preferred weapon at the start of the game, enabling them to adopt a combat style that best fits their playstyle. NPC dialogue choices further influence gameplay, letting players respond either kindly or aggressively. While both options progress the story, aggressive responses provide direct answers to the final puzzle, whereas kinder responses result in riddles, encouraging players to engage with the narrative and problem-solve.
Interactive Progression
  • Encourage players to explore the environment and engage in critical thinking through interactive mechanics such as shooting hidden targets, collecting keys, and deciphering a code. These mechanics are integrated into the level layout to reward curiosity, control pacing, and gradually unlock new areas, ensuring that progression feels earned while directly supporting narrative advancement.
Clear Player Objectives
  • Clear Player Objectives: Ensure players always understand their current goal through intentional level layout, environmental signposting, and visual cues such as lighting, landmarks, and object placement. Objective-based progression keeps gameplay focused and intuitive without relying heavily on on-screen text.
Process on the map design 
  • Initial Inspiration: Reference photos shape the map's concept.
  • Drafting: Started with a basic map layout in Figma.
  • Iterative Design: Blocking out the map sparks new ideas for gameplay.​
  • Gameplay-Driven Level Design: Integrate gameplay mechanics directly into the level layout, ensuring combat encounters, puzzles, and progression systems are built into the map design rather than added on afterward.

Early Level Blockout (Graybox)