Designs Concepts
The core mechanics of the game revolve around flashlights and night vision goggles. The light of the flashlight will be the only safe haven, illuminating the surrounding environment, while the night vision goggles will reveal the secrets hidden in the darkness. However, the limited resources of the battery will make using these tools stressful for players.
The implement of the mechanism night vision goggles can be done by using the post process volume box and assign it to the character blueprint, while the elevator and the change of level can be simply completed by using time lines and level blueprints.
Mechanisms
I used Outlast and Layers of Fear as examples, incorporating basic mechanics that a horror game should have, including the most important ones - flashlight and night vision which contributed the game loop. During exploration, players will encounter locked doors ( puzzles ) and jumpscares
Level Maps
After solving the mechanics, I drew a level map to better clarify my construction ideas
Levels
For the level design, I took inspiration from Layers of Fear — switching between different illusions. In terms of the approach, I used subtitles ( missions and the protagonist's monologues ) to provide hints for players to interact with the environment, achieving the effect of traveling between different illusions.
The following display the transition from the first level to the second: after experiencing a headache and taking medicine, the protagonist is transported to an abandoned indoor space, where the illusions begins
Interact
Switches
Next is the second and third levels. One focuses on exploration using a flashlight ( the map is not too dark ), while the other focuses on exploration using night vision ( with very dark areas ). However, to make the game more logically coherent, both use an elevator as a transition to switch between levels.
Flashlight
Night Vision
Elevator_1
Elevator_2
The last transition is to show the players that they are still in the dream, so an dramatic transport is set
Switches
Horrors
I created two different types of jump scares to enhance the horror experience. One is used in level switch to catch the player off guard, creating a sudden scare. The other is embedded in the map, where the player is mentally prepared but remains cautious, to intensify the eerie atmosphere
Jump scare_1
Jump scare_2
Puzzles
In the game, there are two types of puzzles ( though generally speaking, they are both a form of finding quests ), namely finding elevator cards and door keys. Since it's a horror-themed level, the puzzles are relatively simple and straightforward, point-to-point
Doors
