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First-person psychological horror experience
Overview
Overview
NotSoPT is a first-person psychological horror experience inspired by P.T., designed to create feelings of guilt, confusion, and sustained tension through repetition, subtle environmental changes, and audio-driven storytelling.
The project was developed by a two-person team within a strict three-month timeframe, requiring careful scope control and intentional level design decisions. Rather than relying on frequent jump scares, the experience focuses on anticipation, delayed reveals, and player unease created through familiarity with a looping space that slowly changes over time.
Role & Tools
Role & Tools
Role:
Game Designer · Level Designer · Narrative Designer
Tools:
• Unreal Engine (Blueprints)
• Audacity (audio dialogue editing)
• Adobe Photoshop
Team Size: 2
Responsibilities:
• Designed and iterated on the core looping hallway layout
• Planned furniture placement and spatial pacing to support tension
• Implemented trigger events and audio-driven narrative moments
• Programmed gameplay logic, environmental triggers, and audio cues
• Co-wrote narrative dialogue and managed in-game story progression
Design Focus
Design Focus
Small environmental changes used to build tension across repeated loops
Looping Space & Player Perception
NotSoPT was designed around a single looping environment, where repetition was used as a core mechanic rather than a limitation. By forcing players to traverse the same space multiple times, small environmental and audio changes became more noticeable and unsettling, encouraging players to question what had changed and what they might have missed.
Psychological Tension Through Restraint
Instead of relying on frequent jump scares, tension was built through delayed reveals, audio cues, and subtle environmental shifts. The absence of constant threats allowed anticipation to build naturally, making each new loop feel increasingly uncomfortable without overwhelming the player.
Level Flow & Readability
The layout was intentionally linear and restrictive to prevent player confusion and maintain pacing. Corridors were widened compared to the original inspiration to balance comfort and tension, ensuring players could move confidently while still feeling trapped within the space.
Iteration & Problem-Solving
Iteration & Problem-Solving
Looping hallway layout used to control pacing and repetition
Maintaining Variety Within a Repeating Space
One of the main challenges was keeping the looping environment engaging without expanding the level scope. Early iterations felt visually repetitive, causing players to move forward without noticing environmental or narrative changes.
Iteration & Solution
To address this, we focused on audio-driven storytelling and selective environmental changes rather than large structural modifications. Triggered dialogue, sound cues, and subtle prop variations were introduced to create perceived progression while reusing the same physical space. This allowed each loop to feel meaningfully different without increasing asset or layout complexity.
Technical Constraints & Tradeoffs
Due to the short three-month development timeline, the looping hallway was implemented using duplicated room segments placed sequentially rather than a more systemic looping solution. While functional, this approach highlighted opportunities for more efficient design and technical implementation in future projects.
Result
These decisions allowed the project to remain within scope while maintaining psychological tension and narrative clarity, ultimately resulting in a complete and polished experience despite tight constraints.
What I Learned
What I Learned
Designing Tension Through Subtlety
NotSoPT reinforced how effective restraint can be in horror design. Small, delayed changes and audio cues often had a stronger impact on player tension than frequent or overt scares, especially when paired with a familiar environment.
Working Within Tight Constraints
Developing the project within a strict three-month timeline emphasized the importance of scope control and prioritization. Focusing on fewer, well-polished moments proved more effective than attempting to build additional content that could not be fully refined.
Understanding Better Technical Approaches
Implementing the looping space using duplicated room segments worked under time pressure, but the project highlighted areas where more systemic solutions could improve efficiency. This experience helped me better understand how design and technical decisions intersect, particularly in level reuse and optimization.
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