Caesura
For Caesura, I designed one of the game’s core levels and contributed to its overall development. This action-adventure game blends exploration with rhythmic mechanics, telling an emotional story of healing and restoration. As the level designer for the first major level, I managed every aspect—from early sketches to final set dressing. I developed the whitebox layout, implemented gameplay mechanics, and refined the level through iteration based on feedback from the Creative Director and Lead Level Designer.
Despite early challenges and a significant design pivot mid-project, I delivered a polished level that reflects both my creative problem-solving skills and my ability to execute a vision under pressure.
The Story of Caesura:
The story follows Lyra, a girl raised in a world devoid of magic, who discovers a powerful instrument that grants her the magic she’s always longed for. However, when she first plays the instrument, she unknowingly unleashes an ancient corruption that spreads across her home. Now, Lyra must harness the healing power of music to fight the corruption, cleanse her world, and restore balance before it’s too late.
The game takes Lyra through several levels:
Tutorial Level: Teaches the basic movement and musical mechanics.
First Level (My Level): Introduces core mechanics and puzzles within a mushroom-filled valley.
Second Level: Set in Lyra’s corrupted hometown, now overrun by the ancient magic she unleashed.
Third Level: Takes Lyra to an ancient temple in the mountains, where she uncovers the secrets of the world’s magic.
Final Boss Fight: Lyra faces Caesura, the heart of the corruption, in a climactic battle.
My Role and Contributions
From the start, I was responsible for designing the first level of the game, which expanded on the concepts introduced in the tutorial and gave players their first taste of the game’s mechanics and puzzles. During early design discussions, I proposed the idea of a mushroom-filled valley with water-based mechanics that interact with the environment—a concept that was approved and became central to my level.
I developed top-down maps, blockouts, and sketches to communicate the layout and flow of the level. After finalizing these plans, I transitioned into Unreal Engine to build the level. I started with the tower—a focal point to guide the player’s exploration—before building out the valley and ensuring connectivity between paths to offer players a natural and intuitive experience.
Challenges and Design Pivot
In March, four months before the deadline, the team received feedback indicating that our design didn’t align with the game’s core themes of healing and restoration. To address this, I adjusted my level to emphasize these themes. I scaled back on combat encounters and incorporated water mechanics that symbolize growth and renewal. This required reworking significant portions of my original design while keeping the level engaging and true to the game’s narrative.
Initially, my level spanned the entire valley, with players starting at the top, descending to the base, and climbing back up through multiple battle arenas. After the pivot, I redesigned the level so that players start at the base and ascend toward the tower, solving puzzles along the way. I also reduced the number of battle arenas from three to one to fit the new pacing and tone.
My Role
I was completely responsible for my level except for the scripted mechanics that were handled by a tech designer. I presented my design ideas for the level in a powerpoint presentation (below) and did all the different stages and iterations of my whitebox, constantly getting feedback from the Creative Director and the Lead Level Designer. I changed it many times until it looked and felt interesting to traverse through it, making sure the mechanics fit into the level constrains. I also did the landscaping and the set dressing of the level with the assets our artists produced. I contacted our environment artists for adjustments in the assets I was using so they would fit better within a scene.
Mechanics and Level Structure
Healing Music and Puzzles: Lyra uses the power of music to solve puzzles and interact with the environment. In my level, water mechanics play a key role, with the player manipulating water flow to activate mushrooms and cleanse areas of corruption.
Level Progression:
First Level (My Level): Introduces environmental puzzles and teaches players how water mechanics interact with mushrooms to drive progression.
Second Level: Set in Lyra’s corrupted hometown, where players face increased challenges as the familiar streets become hostile.
Third Level: Takes place in an ancient temple high in the mountains, where Lyra uncovers long-lost secrets about the world’s magic and the source of the corruption.
Final Boss Fight: Lyra confronts Caesura, the embodiment of the corruption. Players must dodge wide attacks from Caesura and use Lyra’s full set of abilities to play healing music and cleanse the corruption for good.
Final Outcome and Reflection
Despite early setbacks and the need for a design pivot, my level became a polished and engaging part of Caesura. The mushroom valley, with its dynamic water mechanics, successfully introduces players to the game’s core mechanics and narrative themes. The iterative design process ensured that every element—from layout to puzzles—contributed to a cohesive and immersive experience.
The images above show the evolution of my level, from early whitebox sketches to the final set-dressed version. The video demonstrates a playthrough of the level, highlighting how the mechanics, environment, and story elements come together to create an engaging experience.
Working on Caesura allowed me to hone my skills in level design, iteration, and collaboration, preparing me for future challenges. I’m proud of what I accomplished in this project and excited to apply these skills to new creative endeavors.