Station-X

Level design was the primary focus of Station-X, with the goal of creating a level that communicates a story through believable environmental storytelling. Rather than guiding the player through explicit objectives or dialogue, I wanted the abandoned space station to tell the story itself, with the player figuring out its past and that time is moving differently. Every room was created with purpose, allowing players to gradually uncover its backstory through environmental details, abandoned workspaces, narrative events in the level and rooms changing while the player is not looking. To maintain player immersion, I chose to include no cutscenes throughout the story forcing the players to follow the protagonist's experience; instead I used Unreal Engine Sequencers and my Dialogue system that would react based on how the player would play the experience.

Before planning & writing the game's Narrative, I spent time analysing other psychological horror and sci-fi games to understand what made their narratives memorable. I looked into how they introduced mystery, paced key story moments and encouraged players forward. Station-X was planned around discoveries and large events, split into "sections"; this allowed players to build their own understanding of events.

The story follows Claire, an engineer aboard Station-X when it is suddenly attacked from a group of aliens, pushing it into the drift of a black hole. Claire wakes up after the crash completely alone, finding the station completely wrecked and most of the crew disappeared.

One of the biggest challenges of writing and developing station-X, was the horror genre. Poorly made mechanics, visuals or poorly written story can really impact the player's immersion of the horror narrative and can be very easily broken. In horror media, I believe the most impactful experiences are those that allow the players imagination to be the source of fear, to play on their fear of the unknown. Rather than constantly revealing the antagonist or the creatures, I played with uncertainty by introducing stalker AI, sound effects that would play just out of sight or unexplained events. I reserached into conepts such as uncanny valley, epxloring how subtle distortions of familiar experiences or human characteristics can easily create discomfort or unease. Sound design became one of the most important tools in achieving the horro atmosphere. Throughout the game I utilised distant footsteps, the ship bending, machinery and environmental ambience.

Another personal goal for this project was writing a believable female protagonist. I wanted to create a character defined by personality, motivations and experiences rather than relying on common stereotypes often found within this genre or superficial traits. Writing from a perspective different from my own encouraged me to write more carefully about dialogue, emotional responses and character development. I wanted the players to be able to connect with a realistic character, that would also play into the game's horror narrative and atmosphere.

Whilst developing Station-X, I decided to collect first-hand research into horror walking simulators by playing the Frictional Games Amnesia Series. Being a huge horror fan, I loved every second of this series and took huge inspiration in many areas of Station-X. Most notably, the water section from Amnesia: The Dark Descent was one of the most tense moments for me. I recreated this section in one of the last parts of my narrative, which playtesters throughoughly enjoyed and some said was their favourite part.