Wandering Dreams
Type of Project: Solo Academic Role: Level Designer Size: Independent Duration: 4 Weeks Year Created: Early 2023 Software: Unity
Overview
My first experience with environmental storytelling was a massive learning experience. The project consisted of working four weeks on creating a narrative via only the environment. The project required a focused theme and have spatial intention as well. A setup, hook, development, turn, and resolution needed to be clearly visible throughout the level. During development of the level I learned how to use lighting, audio, and props to give context to the story within the level while shaping the atmosphere to be what I wanted.
Planning
I started with a feeling, I thought of my childhood and the feeling of waking up from a nap and looking around the house for my family. But for some odd reason, you just couldn’t find anyone. I started with the uncanny feeling of being a child and not being able to find your family in your home. I took that idea and decided to exaggerate it to create a compelling narrative and interesting space by having the home that you move through progressively get stranger and stranger. I wanted to get into an uncanny atmosphere over time, my inspiration is the uncanny feeling that the games We Happy Few, and Little Nightmares. The inspiration of We Happy Few is how the seemingly normal world gets more and more twisted as time goes on. Little Nightmares gave me inspiration for creating spaces from the perspective of a child and creating an environment with props scaled to be the size they would look to a child.
©We Happy Few. (2018). Compulsion Games Inc.
©Little Nightmares. (2017). Tarsier Studios
When I initially created my planning document, I also had Bioshock and The Binding Of Isaac as references for altered spaces but realized that those games start you in a set uncanny environment instead of making the space uncanny over time. Ideally, the player would start in a normal house environment and then progress to a seemingly supernatural environment. The goal was to create this atmosphere while communicating to the player the story beats via the environment. I wanted to assist with guidance and reinforce the atmosphere by introducing a nonverbal character (a dancing doll) to guide the child character through the space. Additionally, throughout the level I wanted the player to understand the story of the space and line up the narrative progression with the level.
Level Playthrough
Combining Guidance through Narrative
To reinforce the dream-like surreal environment and child perspective I wanted my player to feel I decided to implement a supernatural doll to guide the player through “the dream”. When the player starts the game, the first thing they might notice is a yellow doll with an umbrella dancing in the doorway. The player might also see that there are smaller dancing dolls on the ground along with the rest of the toys. This gives the context to the player that this doll belongs to this space somehow, maybe it’s part of the dream or maybe it’s real like their toys.
I added a feature to the doll that makes a chime sound every time the player gets close to it, or it moves. That way I give feedback to the player that when they follow the doll, they are rewarded with the chime sound to let them know they are on the right track. To make the doll more visible, I chose one with bright colors and an active dance animation. That way I could use movement and color contrast to make sure the player always knows where the doll is. Throughout the level, I also use lighting to point to the doll.
The primary explicit form of guidance in this level is the doll, I place it intentionally to show the player the end goal. The doll acts as a narrative plot device supporting the surreal atmosphere by being integrated into the environment. In the parents' walk-in closet, the doll disappears as the player approaches and leaves behind its umbrella (as seen in the image below to the left). The player will notice the texture of the umbrella, which will reappear throughout the level. This consistent visual language, coupled with the game's narrative, guides the player throughout the space while building the story. This visual language grows in importance by being used on larger objects and later parts of the level, following the "Surrealistic Progression" graph shown earlier.
As a level designer it might not be my job to write the story or craft the characters. But, I wanted to show with project that I can take a story and tell it via space alone. I started with a simple concept of a child trying to find their parents after waking up from a nap and I turned it into a space where some may wonder if the child is dreaming, is it magic, is any of this real at all? I created that compelling wonder with the tools and strategies I talked about. I love creating worlds people can get lost in and I hope this short level is one of many environments my future players will want to explore.
Ending Notes
Learning Outcomes
Throughout this project, I learned that starting with a simple idea can lead to a well-rounded experience. By working with prop placement, sound effects, audio, and lighting, I was able to bring an environment to life and effectively guide players through it. This work taught me how to use a space to drive and reward exploration, even in a linear level. Additionally, I discovered the value of using moving props to assist with guidance. By creating an animated, brightly colored doll prop, I was able to make it a guiding beacon for the player while adding to the story. Overall, this project helped me develop important strategies for game design and level creation.
Complications/Issues
This level innately has some severe problems. A good amount of the level has platforming and the jumping puzzles I added needed a hotkey in case a player couldn’t get through. If I had had more time and made an effort to test the platforming thoroughly or cut it entirely. The level itself tells the story it needs to have the player be able to put the ideas together that you are a child, you are home but maybe not safe, you are looking for someone, and this is probably a dream. But what is the point of the story I’m trying to tell if the gameplay mechanics are actively pulling your attention away and frustrating the player?
Alternatively, another issue that I have with this level is the scale. I did my best but the scale is not consistent. I could justify it as intentional but at the end of the day, the environment worked out to make the off-scale make sense. My original idea was to make a level with a player controller that would be the size of a child. My early sections don’t accomplish that very well, and the props are much larger than they should be. Despite this, the scale still worked for the project because it enhanced the surreal and uncanny environment I was aiming for. Admittedly, the scale wasn’t meticulously planned, and I happened upon it in the process.
Finally, the last part of the level, with the stairs descending down to the basement area is too lengthy. The level has a problem with the pace of the gameplay. It takes too long to get down to the basement, which causes the player to lose interest in the environment. This is a significant issue, especially since the level is about environmental storytelling, and the anticipation for the final moment of the level is being drawn out.