Project Role
Curtain Call was developed as a student project at BUas. As a Level Designer, I was responsible for designing an entire wing of the theatre. My focus was on balancing atmosphere, scripted encounters, and combat to create a tense and memorable player experience.
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Designed the layout of a full theatre wing
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Created and prototyped scripted encounters
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Designed puzzle sequences and gameplay interactions
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Balanced combat encounters within compact interior spaces
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Guided player progression through layout and environmental cues
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Worked closely with environment artists to support atmosphere and gameplay
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Contributed to bug fixing and polish during the 1.1 update
Unreal
32 People
24 Weeks
Level Designer
Level Overview
Layout
I used real Vaudeville theatres as reference to create a believable layout. Rooms such as dressing rooms, storage spaces, and a director’s office were chosen to reflect real theatre architecture, strengthening the environment’s identity.
Although the level is mostly linear, it is designed to feel larger and more connected. Players can often see future areas before reaching them, which makes the environment feel more open while still keeping navigation and progression clear.
The crawlspaces connect different areas of the level and add variety to traversal. Their tight and claustrophobic spaces create more tension compared to the open hallways, helping make movement through the level feel more varied and engaging.
Level Ingredients
We designed only a handful of level ingredients to keep the gameplay simple and readable. These ingredients were created to fit naturally within the environment, supporting both gameplay and narrative while reinforcing the overall player experience.
I used ammo boxes and medkits to encourage exploration. Their placement also helped with game balance, allowing me to control resource availability and combat difficulty.
I used Ink tendrils to gate progression and hide important objects. They also visually showed the environment becoming corrupted.
Notes served as small narrative moments that added context to the theatre. They were also used to provide puzzle hints, helping guide players without relying on explicit instructions.
Interactables
Ink
Utility
Scripted Events
The scripted encounters were designed to feel theatric and framed, reflecting the identity of the theatre setting. Each combat space provides enough room for movement and decision-making while staying believable to real-world theatre architecture, balancing clear gameplay with a believable space.
I designed this encounter to create a sense of unease before combat begins. Players are introduced to the ballerinas, allowing them to observe the enemies before they become a threat. After collecting the key, one ballerina activates, while its approaching footsteps build anticipation and encourage players to react to audio cues.
Once the first ballerina is defeated, I deliberately keep the exit locked to create a false sense of relief. Activating the second ballerina at a much shorter distance creates pacing escalation, making the encounter feel more sudden and intense than the first.
Ballerina Room Encounter
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Theatric reveal through opening curtains immediately draws attention to the ballerinas and builds unease
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Audio cues and delayed activation create tension as the player hears footsteps approaching from behind
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Pacing escalation increases fear by turning the second phase into a more close-range and intense encounter
Outcomes
Outcomes
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Uses a sudden audio cue and dramatic entrance to create an immediate scare
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The combat layout allows players to loop the enemy and manage spacing during the fight
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Rewards exploration and awareness with a hidden medkit placed behind ink tendrils
I designed this encounter to immediately create pressure by forcing players into combat with very little time to react. The layout provides enough space to loop around obstacles, allowing players to reposition while avoiding the performer. A hidden medkit behind the ink tendrils rewards exploration and players who stay aware of their surroundings during the fight.
Dressing Room Encounter
Outcomes
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Uses environmental storytelling to naturally embed the puzzle into the office space
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Encourages observation and deduction by requiring players to identify the correct paintings from a clue
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Rewards puzzle solving with meaningful progression by granting a key piece
I designed this environmental puzzle to encourage observation rather than trial and error. Players must inspect every painting, while a nearby note provides the clues needed to identify the correct ones and determine the right sequence. Solving the puzzle rewards exploration and meaningful progression with one of the key pieces.
Director's Office Puzzle
Outcomes
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Uses visual framing through the broken wall to build anticipation before the scare
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Progression is communicated through an offscreen scripted event that opens the locked path
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Breaks the player’s sense of safety, making future crawlspaces feel more tense and unpredictable
I used this encounter to break the player's sense of safety. After repeatedly using crawlspaces as safe traversal spaces, players witness a performer breaking open a previously locked path through a small opening in the wall. This scripted event creates a memorable moment while changing how players perceive crawlspaces for the rest of the game.
Crawlspace Encounter
Framing & Leading Lines / Funneling
Framing
Leading Lines
Point of Interest
Post-Release
The Inkhalls
For the 1.1 update, I designed the Ink Halls, a new level inspired by the surreal layouts of the Backrooms. This section shifts away from the grounded theatre environment, using impossible architecture and increasingly challenging encounters to reflect the player's descent into madness.
Design Goals
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Create a surreal environment that reflects the player's deteriorating sanity.
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Reinforce the narrative through unnatural architecture and visual progression.
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Introduce challenging combat encounters to build tension toward the finale.
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Encourage players to question their surroundings through unexpected level layouts.
Surreal Interior
I designed a series of unnatural interiors that break away from the theatre's realistic architecture. These spaces create a surreal atmosphere while supporting the narrative and strengthening the player's sense of unease. These areas were then setdressed my the environment artists.
Switching Hallways
The switching hallways create a short moment of confusion by leading the player to what appears to be a dead end. As they turn around, the environment subtly changes, revealing a new hallway while the previous path disappears. This creates a memorable visual illusion and reinforces the surreal nature of the Ink Halls.
Doors?
This hallway is a simple environmental beat designed to make players question their surroundings. The hallway is lined with doors that appear to be interactive. However, none of them open.
Corrupted Rooms
The corrupted rooms gradually show the theatre being consumed by ink. Each room becomes more damaged and distorted than the last, visually communicating the player's descent into madness. This progression shows the environment becoming more corrupted as the player ventures deeper into the Ink Halls.
The Descent
The weird interior is a surreal section that reflects the player's growing insanity. At its center is an impossible elevator shaft, surrounded by floating doors and windows that lead into darkness. This unrealistic design creates a strange and unsettling atmosphere, making the environment feel detached from reality.
Scripted Encounters
The Descent
I designed the descent to feel like the situation is becoming increasingly surreal and out of control. Each stop pushes the player further, starting with an encounter against one Inkspitter before increasing the pressure with two in the confined space. The final mannequin sequence shifts away from combat and ends the descent with a scripted scare, reinforcing the feeling that everything is rapidly falling apart.
Double Trouble
I designed this encounter to put more pressure on the player by having two performers approach from opposite directions. This encourages players to think about their positioning and stay aware of the possibility of being flanked. The layout allows players to loop around the enemies and create space, while still keeping them under pressure from multiple directions.
Multitasking
I designed this encounter to create multitasking pressure by combining the returning mannequin with two ballerinas. Players must manage the ballerinas while keeping the mannequin in sight, forcing them to constantly divide their attention. The spacious layout gives players enough room to reposition and manage multiple threats without making the encounter feel unfair.
Outcomes
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Uses a theatric reveal to reintroduce the mannequin and immediately capture the player's attention
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Encourages multitasking by forcing players to defeat the ballerinas while keeping the mannequin in sight
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The spacious combat layout provides enough room to manage multiple threats without overwhelming the player
Outcomes
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Introduces a higher combat challenge through multiple enemies attacking at once
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Encourages movement and positioning by allowing players to loop around the room
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Creates pressure by forcing players to avoid being flanked during the encounter
Outcomes
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Creates a sense of uncertainty by turning a familiar elevator into a surreal, ever-changing space
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Escalates combat through multiple stops, introducing the Inkspitter before increasing the challenge with two enemies
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Combines scripted scares and combat to keep players tense throughout the descent, ending with a final mannequin scare before reaching the bottom
The Curtain Call
I designed the ending to shift the player from active gameplay into a slow, controlled horror sequence. The spotlights act as a visual affordance and leading line, guiding players through the darkness while maintaining clear progression. The limited visibility creates tension, while each new spotlight provides a clear short-term goal and builds anticipation toward the final stage reveal. The theatre then becomes the source of the final scare, using the disappearing and reappearing mannequins to create a final moment of tension before the credits.
Outcomes
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Creates a memorable finale by shifting from combat to a fully scripted horror sequence
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Uses lighting to guide the player while building suspense through the darkness
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Delivers a final psychological scare that concludes the game's surreal narrative before the credits roll
Looking Back
Looking back, Curtain Call was one of the most challenging and rewarding projects I have worked on so far. It helped me grow significantly as a level designer, especially in creating interior spaces that balance atmosphere with gameplay. I am proud of how the level’s layout, scripted encounters, and gameplay moments came together to create a tense and memorable player experience.
Working on a survival horror game taught me a lot about pacing and player guidance. Since the theatre environment relied heavily on atmosphere and tension, I had to carefully consider how combat, exploration, and environmental storytelling worked together. Finding the right balance between horror and gameplay helped me better understand how level design can shape player emotion.
If I could redo the project, I would challenge the theatre design further and push its identity more. I would have liked to incorporate more iconic theatre elements, such as the main stage, to strengthen both the environment and the overall experience. Overall, Curtain Call was a valuable learning experience that deepened my passion for creating atmospheric and immersive levels.