Level Design & Feel

HydroFall was a thesis proof-of-concept project developed alongside a written report. The game was designed as a narrative-driven action RPG with a serious games approach, aiming to explore climate change, pollution, and the relationship between humans and nature through an engaging gameplay experience.

My primary role was level and environment design, alongside asset research and gameplay testing. Due to the scale of the open-world sandbox structure, we skipped physical prototyping and instead focused on large-scale digital iteration and greyboxing.

The project featured three distinct biomes: a barren peninsula, a toxic forest with a lighthouse shoreline, and a hazardous bayou. Each area introduced new mechanics, upgrades, and environmental challenges that gradually prepared the player for later stages of the game.

A central gameplay mechanic revolved around water as a limited resource. Water was used both for survival — treating radiation and toxicity — and for enhancing abilities and projectiles, encouraging the player to balance combat effectiveness with resource management.