Village Introduction

I introduce the environment where I focus on visual storytelling to onboard the player. I keep the mechanics and gameplay elements simple to not steal focus from the environment and story I'm trying to present.

I subtly set up the motivations and a call to action for the player through the visual narrative before reaching the flight platform.

Establishing Shot

I designed a guided establishing shot to  reveal my landmark glowing tree and a foreshadowing with the large cannon that comes in later. I layered other characters flying in to build expectation, then subverted it with an emergent conflict with the owl chasing the helicopter. Then I redirect the player to follow them and transition into the crash site.

The crash site

Here the first combat encounter takes place. The island is fairly empty keeping it simple. I focus on covers and letting the player sneak and engage the combat scenario whenever they want from a vantage point, giving the player agency while also making it fairly easy to get the player onboarded with the combat.

Cannon fire

The world gets disrupted and increases the tension by collapsing the tree as a major world-state change. I foreshadowed the cannon earlier and familiarized the player with the environment before I make this drastic change. My goal here is to set up future challenges and hint at the enemy’s scale and power, while also setting up the cannon as a long-term goal for the player.

The enemy scouts

In this second combat encounter I try to emphasize the visual storytelling by having the small moon statues that the player can easily connect back to the home village. I'm trying to highlight that this area is supposed to be part of your tribe's land. I utilize patrolling enemies here acting as a scout unit, while trying to sell the story that they have already reached your tribe's lands to create a sense of urgency.

The mountains

After selling the urgency I leave the player plenty of space to run and traverse while also utilizing some camera perspective changes to keep it interesting. Here I'm actively trying to give the player some breathing room after the combat area to vary the gameplay a bit to keep the player hooked. The segment ends off with a funnel into a one-way valve by jumping off the cliff into the lake.

Burning Tree Stump

The burning tree stump is designed to be a step up in difficulty and tension from the previous traversal segment. I create a big shift in atmosphere here with the fire and smoke to help avoid visual fatigue and implement some extra visual storytelling with the dead owls and the reveal at the end of all the fallen friends at the battlefield. Ending it with another flight sequence on one of the fallen soldiers' owls to get closer to the cannon.

Enemy army

After exiting the cave I use a hard reveal of the cannon followed by a highlight of the large army. Here my goal is to make the player feel small and the tension. I try to make it very clear that the player by themselves stand no chance against the full army, and instead suggest the player to find alternative paths. Having introduced to the player earlier that they can swim in the water I once again utilize it here as a stealthed path.

The infiltration

For this area I aim to create a more complex and difficult combat encounter. More patrolling enemies, shorter sightlines and a bit more inconvenient covers. The player is also at a disadvantage here being at the low ground unlike the previous encounters. I also opt for a bit more exploration here with pickups and scavenging of enemy supplies. After defeating the last enemy I also incorporate a vista where the player can look back on earlier areas to create a sense of progression.

The last gambit

Right before reaching the cannon, I present a smaller control room to help with the mental map of the player. After planting an explosive at the cannon, the player is met with a dead end. I force the player to backtrack but now with the higher ground advantage where new enemies keep coming to storm the player, making for a more intense and epic final gambit.

The Finale

I want the level to end with a bang and leave a memorable impact where the player feels satisfied completing the objective. Presenting the large aircraft enemy, I'm trying to make the deus ex machina even more impactful while also utilizing a callback to the very start of the level by having the village chieftain that was rallying the tribe being the savior. I utilize one last flight sequence this time on the chieftain's owl to highlight the destruction of the cannon and the escape.