Embedded Files
"P01F"
Type: School Project, First Person (Four-person team)
Development: September 2025 (6 weeks) I worked on the last level, "Boiler Room."
Description: A psychological horror game that employs audio and environmental storytelling to advance the narrative.
Purpose: The aim is to evoke feelings of isolation by designing expansive, maze-like spaces that create a sense of being stalked through scripted enemy encounters.
Sound credit: Peter Clyburn
Link: N/A
Gameplay Video
White Boxing
Theme References
Paper Map
GAME DOCUMENTS
Game Flow
The player will enter the world through the portal at the top of the stairs.
The player will start their descent down the staircase.
The player continues down the stairs and collects piano keys.
As the player collects piano keys, the world slowly unfolds before them.
Secrets are unveiled to the player as the environment comes to life.
The player will encounter significant events that were pivotal in their life.
The player will continue traveling down the stairs while learning how they function.
Once the player reaches a specific point on the staircase, they will be respawned back to their original starting location. The player will continue this process until they successfully navigate the endless staircase mechanic.
After realizing they must jump off the tower to progress, players will confront their fear of heights, initially raising their stress levels.
The player descends the stairs and collects piano keys along the way.
After crossing the bridge and avoiding the enemy, the player will enter the furnace room.
The player must collect the piano keys while avoiding enemies in the furnace.
When the player collects all of the piano keys, blue cubes will appear on the tables by the wall, indicating that they have been collected.
After collecting all the piano keys, the player can access the door to finally leave the level.
FINAL THOUGHTS
This game was inspired by a quote:
“Little solace comes
to those who grieve
when thoughts keep drifting
as walls keep shifting
and this great blue world of ours
seems a house of leaves
moments before the wind.”
― Mark Z. Danielewski, House of Leaves
My approach was to create a world where the player gradually descends into psychological unraveling. I enjoyed developing mechanics that instill anxiety during gameplay. One of the challenges I faced was implementing a linear narrative experience without making the player feel as though they weren’t influencing the story. Initially, when I presented my ideas for the level, I struggled to convince one of my teammates. They described my concepts as lofty and unengaging, accusing me of creating a "cinematic experience" rather than an actual "gaming experience." This led to an initial divide between our ideas and how we wanted to develop the game as a group. However, as the weeks progressed, I was able to demonstrate the validity of my ideas, showing that they were not only achievable but would also significantly enhance the players' overall gaming experience. Oddly enough, despite our hard work, our group felt that the game wasn’t perfect. We had all worked passionately on it, but since none of us had ever created a horror game before, we were uncertain about whether we had effectively conveyed the theme of "psychological horror." After several playtests, my team and I made adjustments, and during our final playthrough, 87 percent of our playtesters loved the game. They praised it and expressed a desire to play again. Some even said things like "I would play this on Steam," or "This is the most polished project I've played today." Hearing those comments validated all of our efforts, and I could not be happier with the final results. From this experience, I learned that even when ideas seem to clash at first, maintaining alignment with our overall goal allows us to achieve our objectives. Working with this team has been enlightening, challenging me to grow as a game designer and encouraging me to explore creative and innovative approaches to storytelling through level design.
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