Until Dawn Remake
A narrative-driven, third-person horror experience that honors the original game’s vision while modernizing the flow, introducing a new third-person camera system, and enhancing emotional tension through cinematics, all built in Unreal Engine 5.
Design responsibilities and process:
Process:
Drew inspiration from the original game as a foundational pillar to ensure respect for the original material.
Crafted cinematic cameras and blends to guide emotional beats, maintain tension, and anchor dramatic moments.
Mindfully edited chapters flow to ensure the character's emotional state remains coherent, utilizing animations and specific camera angles as needed.
Evaluated each layout change with respect to the desired atmosphere, enhancing immersion.
Ensured that sequences and animations during interactive elements or cinematics play seamlessly, collaborating with other departments.
Implemented level design techninalities to ensure a fluid navigation system and gameplay experience.
Collaborated with artists for art-level dressing in new areas.
Example:
In Chapter 1, playing as Sam, I created and implemented a spline that has the camera changing by interpolating values from a waiste shot to a vista shot if the player walks along one direction in order to frame the mountain vista.
New area layout and content:
Collaborated with the lead game designer and concept designer to bring new areas to life, ensuring alignment with the game's overall vision and narrative.
Pitched ideas and iterated on layouts within the engine to ensure that level metrics and core mechanics functioned as intended.
Re-evaluated the metrics of new areas based on level design iterations to achieve optimal navigation flow and player experience.
Scripted events embedded within the storytelling of new areas to enhance narrative immersion and player engagement.
Implemented new camera blends and shakes to further convey the desired emotional tone and atmosphere of the experience.
Contributed to the art dressing of new areas, adding detailed storytelling elements to enrich the environment.
Reinterpreted fixed camera angles into third-person traversal, preserving suspense while enhancing player agency.
Example:
On the road from the cabin to the shed in Chapter 8, playing as Chris, I pitched and implemented a scripted event where a crow is seen eating another dead crow, adding a layer of dark symbolism to the scene.
As Sam in Chapter 10, I designed a new maze section to amplify the eerie atmosphere of the subterranean cave, with ambient creature sounds hinting at unseen threats. This replaced an area in the original that lacked clear purpose or emotional tension, transforming it into a space that builds dread and suspense through spatial uncertainty and audio cues.
Totem’s - micro layout, new content and level dressing
Relocated all totems throughout the entire game, ensuring each new placement maintained narrative coherence and gameplay balance..
Analyzed and restructured premonition delivery, collaborating with the narrative designer to ensure the sequence of totem discoveries enhanced storytelling and player anticipation.
Identified and documented potential new explorable areas without disrupting the game's flow, utilizing tools like Miro boards to map out and organize these opportunities.
Modified micro layouts to open new pathways, transforming critical paths to offer fresh discovery experiences for both new and returning players.
Collaborated with the narrative team to ensure the reconfiguration of totem placements aligned with the game's overarching story and character development. Player can not see again something that has already happened.
Executed level dressing for newly accessible areas, enhancing environmental storytelling and visual immersion.
Aimed to revitalize familiar spaces, breathing new life into known areas respecting the original game's essence.
Example:
In the sanatorium, I opened up multiple locations, most notably the cemetery. This addition enriches the storytelling by shedding light on the events that took place, honouring the dead. The location is packed with crows, amplifying the cemetery’s atmosphere, making it ominous.
key lesson:
Translating fixed-camera sequences into a third-person, immersive experience required carefully balancing player freedom with cinematic control and intentional camera placement. Through iterative camera blending and layout adaptation around sightlines and emotional beats, I maintained the original game's sense of dread while leveraging player movement to heighten tension, guide exploration, and enhance discovery with the new third-person perspective.
Media:
Walktrough Below: