Interactables

Rooftops & ledges (elevation scouting), doors (building entry points), carts & lockers (stealth cover), distraction items (smoke bombs and shuriken to lure guards). A minimalist UI shows smoke bomb / shuriken counts in the top-right corner; a dynamic reticule changes shape near interactable doors; contextual prompts appear near carts and lockers.

Sound & Detection Design

Audio cues are critical to tension. The player's footsteps propagate noise to nearby guards; only crouching enables silent movement. Surface type matters. Farmyard chickens act as environmental detection triggers, scattering and alarming nearby patrols when the player gets too close. Guards respond dynamically to both sound and direct line of sight, following patrol routes but diverting when alerted.

Inspiration & References

Tenchu : classic stealth gameplay mechanics. Assassin's Creed : parkour and open-world movement. Ghost of Tsushima : Japanese setting and aesthetic. Mark of the Ninja : precision-based stealth mechanics. The level design theory draws on Totten (2019) for architectural spatial flow, and Stone Librande's GDC fundamentals for communicating game systems visually.

What Worked

The stealth design pillar was consistently adhered to throughout. The combination of evasion and distraction techniques complemented the design intention. Difficulty scales naturally across the three zones — the farm eases players in while the dense village middle section forces faster, higher-stakes decision-making. The progression from sparse to crowded successfully changes the feel and tempo of play without introducing new mechanics.

Identified Improvements

The level could be enhanced with formal dark zones : dedicated shadow safe areas where guard visibility is blocked by low light levels. This could be implemented either through more complex AI detection logic or by placing collision volumes in low-light areas to block guard patrol paths. This would better reward players for environmental awareness and add a clearer stealth resource to manage.

Theoretical Framework

The design is grounded in Schell's (2008) argument that a unified theme strengthens all elements simultaneously; here, stealth is the single theme governing movement, AI, tools, UI, and level structure. Adams & Dormans (2012) highlight how abstracting hidden mechanics like visibility and sound propagation are crucial to a balanced experience. Totten (2014) notes that properly sequenced cover points and hiding spots create exciting gameplay scenarios — directly applied in the farm-to-village-to-castle escalation of spatial complexity.

References: Schell, J. (2008) The Art of Game Design. Adams, E. & Dormans, J. (2012) Game Mechanics: Advanced Game Design. Totten, C. (2019) An Architectural Approach to Level Design. Kremers, R. (2009) Level Design: Concept, Theory, and Practice. Librande, S. (2012) GDC Vault.

Project Documents

Video Summary: approx. 10 mins

A full level walkthrough from dusk at the docks through to the castle grounds, followed by a detailed design commentary covering technical implementation decisions and post-project reflection.

The video opens with the protagonist arriving at the warlord's town after nightfall. The outlying farm acts as the teaching zone: gentle guard patrols and strategically placed chickens funnel the player into the correct path while introducing crouching as the only truly silent movement mode. A river crossing provides the first chokepoint: the bridge can be entered by vaulting the gate or climbing a guide rope up to a watchtower.

Design Reflection

Two mechanics were cut during development: a sliding move (enjoyable but purposeless) and a bow-and-arrow that conflicted with the stealth-first core pillar. Both remain dormant in the build for potential re-integration. A noted future improvement is a light-based detection system to block guard sight lines in unlit areas, reinforcing the "shadows" promise of the title.

Supporting Cast

Valek's squad in the New Russian Army (NRA) includes Capt. Alexsi, Lt. Dmitri, Pvt. Vladimir, and Pvt. Baldrik , his surrogate family unit after being taken from his parents, Anya and Piotr Mikhailov.

Narrative Techniques

The story blends implicit and explicit storytelling. Valek's 10th birthday party (playable) shows the angst of his parents without spelling it out. The explicit counterpoint is the cutscene of troops arriving and taking him away. Later, a playable mission in an enemy base has Valek discover evidence of a mole; this is explicitly confirmed by a cutscene of Rasputin conversing with the enemy.

Epilogue

Depending on player choices: Valek is promoted to Major and hailed a hero of New Russia; or foreign nations recognise New Russia is weakened and begin to plot against it; or Valek defects entirely and helps orchestrate the destruction of the empire he served. Three distinct endings all emerge from one branching scenario.

Setup

Near the end of the game. Valek has uncovered Rasputin's treachery and chases him to the rooftop helipad. An aircraft is waiting, and on board is President Roosevelt of the USA. Two drones are targeting Rasputin. Valek arrives with his rifle raised. The player must now choose their approach.

PATH 1: CONFRONT THE PRESIDENT

Valek addresses the President directly. The President reveals a dangerous truth about the war, and about Valek's real family. Valek lowers his weapon and boards the helicopter. Together with Rasputin and the President, he orchestrates a strategic attack on New Russia while civilian evacuations run simultaneously. Valek watches his homeland burn, but finds his parents.

Ending: Valek defects. New Russia destroyed. World rebuilds.

PATH 2: TACKLE RASPUTIN

Valek lunges at Rasputin and physically restrains him. The President escapes. Valek delivers Rasputin to the Tsar, but from here a second choice branches:

Tsar's choice: Valek executes Rasputin in the throne room. Rasputin reveals a hidden dagger mid-execution and lunges for the Tsar. Valek shoots him dead. The Tsar reigns supreme.

Rasputin's choice: Valek advocates for a public trial at the Gulag. The Tsar agrees. Rasputin is imprisoned. Valek is promoted to second in command, Rasputin's former position.

Endings vary: execution or imprisonment of Rasputin; Valek rises to power.

PATH 3: TACKLE RASPUTIN, THEN ENGAGE THE PRESIDENT

Valek restrains Rasputin, but the President's parting words plant seeds of doubt. Valek delivers Rasputin to the Tsar, but in the throne room, shaken by what he heard, Valek turns his rifle on the Tsar himself. Rasputin, stunned, steps forward and crowns himself Tsar Rasputin I, appointing Valek as his second in command.

Ending: The Tsar is dead. Rasputin rules. Valek chose the "truth."

Design Rationale

The scenario is deliberately designed so that no single path feels obviously "correct." The Tsar is autocratic; Rasputin is treacherous; the President's motives are self-serving. Valek's decision must be made under time pressure, with incomplete information, mirroring the moral ambiguity faced by real soldiers following orders they don't fully understand. The branching structure was prototyped in Figma to map all decision trees before scripting.

Full Screenplay: Read the Script

The complete branching script for Scene 04, including all dialogue, stage directions, and camera instructions across all paths and sub-branches.

SCENE 04: THE PREDICAMENT

Interactive Figma prototype: all branching paths playable

What the Prototype Covers

The Figma prototype maps all three primary paths and their sub-branches, including the full rooftop confrontation, all three endings, and the throne room scenes. It was built to serve as a communication tool between the narrative designer and the rest of the team, ensuring all paths were accounted for before committing to the final script.

Software Used

Project Documents

Video Summary: approx. 8.5 mins

A complete walkthrough of the interactive Figma prototype for Scene 04: "Winter's End", demonstrating all three branching paths and their outcomes. The scene opens on a rooftop helipad at dusk, with protagonist Valek Mikhailov pursuing Rasputin towards a waiting helicopter carrying representatives of the USA.

Each branch is driven by Valek's governing trait (duty-bound soldier, indoctrinated from youth) in tension with a conflicting trait (growing political awareness and doubt). The player's choice at each decision point determines which trait wins — and which faction inherits New Russia.

Branching Paths Demonstrated

Controls

Health & Pickups

Health bar runs 0–100%. Enemy contact reduces health continuously; the longer contact is maintained, the more damage taken. A 'slap' SFX plays on damage; a melancholy jingle plays at zero. Health restores via chocolate bars and drink cans (+1 minor, randomly dropped) and first aid kits (+2 major, scarce, house and church only). Keys unlock doors; Master Key parts (collected throughout the house) assemble to unlock the graveyard gate.

Target Audience

Designed for fans of classic arcade platformers of all ages, with a particular pull for the 30–50 age bracket through deliberate 80s nostalgia: pixel art, horror-themed level design, and an 8-bit inspired soundtrack. The game is approachable for casual players but rewards mastery through weapon selection and spatial awareness.

Art Direction

All characters and enemies are animated pixel art. Backgrounds are pixel art street scenes showing dusk falling and streetlights activating; darkness is both aesthetic and narrative. House and church sections use individual room screens rather than side-scrolling, creating a deliberate shift in pacing. The art draws from classic 80s pixel horror aesthetics.

Soundtrack Design

Iterative Design Decisions

The GDD documents several key design pivots: the game was initially planned for multiple levels but scoped to one level to meet time constraints. The protagonist's name changed from Michael/Jessica to Steve/Jen to avoid associations with horror villain names. The Cross weapon shifted from ranged to melee, and a new melee weapon, "holy trainers",, was introduced to evoke Mario Bros. nostalgia before being replaced by the Iron Railing. AI-generated character voice dialogue was added late in development to complement the written backstory.

Full Game Design Document

The complete GDD covering all systems, level structure, weapons, enemies, pickups, sound design and art direction.

Video Summary: approx. 7 mins

A combined gameplay walkthrough and design presentation covering the full three-act structure of Stranger Natural, from the opening street scroll to the final confrontation inside Jessica's house, with commentary on inspiration sources, design theory applied, and two playtesting iterations.

The video opens by contextualising the game's inspirations: Ghosts 'n Goblins and Super Mario Bros for platformer mechanics; Stranger Things, Supernatural, Ghostbusters and The Evil Dead for tone, setting and enemy logic. The narrative premise, a teenager walking to his friend's house to play D&D, is established through opening dialogue between Steve and Jen before the side-scrolling gameplay begins.

Playtesting

Two playtesting phases were conducted using feedback forms with anonymous demographics to capture views across different audiences. Results were quantified in graphs and used to drive iterative changes to mechanics and pacing throughout the development lifecycle.

Atmospheric Horror Design

Creates horror through atmosphere and suggestion rather than jump scares. Inspired by 1970s and 80s horror films, the design emphasises building tension through environmental storytelling, unsettling sound design, and carefully crafted lighting. The true horror emerges from what's implied rather than explicitly shown.

Level Design & Pacing

Early areas establish normalcy before subtle wrongness creeps in. Mid-game sections build dread through isolation and atmosphere. The climax delivers on built tension without relying on cheap scares, maintaining the film-inspired tone throughout.

Design Approach

The UI system was built on Atomic Design principles , designing reusable components from atoms upward, ensuring visual consistency across all screens. Font choice was deliberate: Italianno throughout (regular and outlined variants) on plain white/black to ensure readability over the richly painted fantasy backgrounds. The art direction draws from Forgotten Realms and classic fantasy novel illustration.

Screen Architecture

The UI was designed as a complete interconnected system, each screen set against a contextually appropriate environment:

Social & Login Integration

Three login pathways were designed: in-game account creation, Facebook OAuth, and Instagram OAuth. The rationale was audience-specific: the target demographic trust social login for speed and perceived security. The Hawthorne Effect was considered in testing; knowing they were observed affected participant behaviour, which was factored into result analysis.

Testing Methodology

An unmoderated, remote testing approach was adopted for reach and cost efficiency, supplemented by in-person sessions where direct observation of non-verbal cues (facial expressions, body language) added qualitative depth. Each round used four linear scale questions and two open-ended questions, with an additional screening question from round two onward to track returning vs. fresh participants. The Hawthorne Effect was acknowledged as a limitation of observed sessions.

Design Process

Each playtest followed a structured iterative loop: feedback received → prioritised by criticality and impact → changes implemented → documented in the change log → next playtest. This mirrors Hodent's (2017) UX methodology applied to game design — treating the UI as a cognitive experience to be refined, not just a visual layer to be polished.

What the Prototype Covers

The full UI journey from splash screen through character creation, login (including Facebook and Instagram flows), main menu, play mode selection, shop (Street Scene / Bank / Wizard's Shop), deck management (Barracks / Library), settings, and in-game pause menu. Every connection between screens was mapped and validated in Figma before Unity implementation — allowing user testing to begin on the prototype before writing a single line of code.

Project Documents

GAD5006_GDD_Halliwell_Steven · 30 pages

Video Summary: approx. 10 mins

A complete UI walkthrough starting with the Figma wireframe prototype, then moving through the full working Unity build, covering account creation, settings, the shop ecosystem, deck management, the help library, and live gameplay. Three playtesting phases are documented with the specific iterations each round drove.

The project began with zero prior knowledge of trading card games. An external Udemy course was completed alongside the module to understand deck management fundamentals; that knowledge was then implemented directly into a working deck system in Unity. Visual design draws from the Forgotten Realms book series aesthetic, with each UI section designed to feel like a distinct location within the game world.

Technical Implementation

Audio managed via a Unity Audio Manager script controlling the main mixer, allowing music, SFX and speech to be controlled independently. Secure login implemented using PlayFab for credential storage and social media account linking. Multiplayer lobby UI is built but not yet fully connected; flagged for a future sprint. Card rarity and elemental type are randomised on pack opening.