Project Tempest: Whalecrash
Level Design | Mission Design | Encounters
Level Overview
Whalecrash was a vertical slice level for an unreleased sci-fi VR shooter designed for 1 to 3 players, emphasizing co-op combat, traversal, and exploration. I was responsible for three of the five areas in the campaign’s vertical slice deliverable: the Outpost (Area 1), Grotto (Area 2), and Skywhale Crash Site (Area 5). Each section featured distinct pacing, tone, and gameplay focus to support the story mission.
Each area was crafted to deliver combat-forward encounters balanced with opportunities for environmental storytelling and cooperative traversal. The design approach emphasized pacing variety across the campaign, ensuring each space contributed a unique rhythm and gameplay flavor within the mission’s overall arc.
Key Contributions
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Level & Mission Design: Designed playspaces in Unreal Engine 5 and scripted encounter-driven mission beats with Blueprints to support cooperative play.
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Cross-Discipline Coordination: Partnered with environment, narrative, and gameplay teams to align story and player flow.
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Cinematics Implementation: Built and sequenced in-engine cutscenes using Sequencer.
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Blockout Art Creation: Produced 3D blockouts and assets in Maya for rapid iteration and testing before final art implementation.
VR Co-Op Shooter | Area 1 Blockout Playtest
VR Co-Op Shooter | Area 1 Blockout Playtest
VR Co-Op Shooter | Area 2 Blockout Playtest
VR Co-Op Shooter | Area 5 Blockout Playtest
Pacing & Tension
Whalecrash was structured around three core pillars: combat, traversal, and story. The flow was designed to create a synergistic first-time experience that introduced new players to the game’s key systems and rhythm of play. My areas of ownership - the Outpost, the Grotto, and the Skywhale Crash Site - are indicated on the graph.
Pre-Production
01: Flow Diagram
Using Miro, we developed flow diagrams that visualized player progression through each beat of combat, traversal, and social interaction. Every level designer contributed to different sections of the mission, ensuring variety while maintaining cohesion in pacing and player guidance.
These diagrams served as early alignment tools between design, art, and narrative, helping define transitions between player-driven action and scripted story moments.
02: Concept & Vis-Dev Collab
Concept Art: ARYA MONSTER, Mike Sekowski
I worked closely with concept art and visual development to align environmental storytelling and spatial composition. My focus was on creating spaces that guided players intuitively using shape and color language, while balancing alien worldbuilding with the approachable familiarity of a sci-fi western frontier. This collaboration helped ensure that every structure, landmark, and vista supported both gameplay readability and thematic cohesion.
Storyboards helped shape the mission flow and player journey through early blockouts, mapping how objectives, encounters, and traversal routes connected across the space.