Soul Spire
A Third Person Action Adventure Experience
Introduction
In this project I wanted to create my take on a level inspired by the latest God of War games. Featuring breathtaking scenes and vistas.
With this level I wanted to focus on level, combat, and technical design to create a varied atmospheric journey through the realm of the dead.
Summary
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Production Time: 6 weeks half-time
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Tools: Unreal Engine 5.4, Blender, Inkscape
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Template: Created by Martin Trosell and GASP (Game Animation Sample Pack), edited by me.​
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Unreal Marketplace Assets: Skeleton Knight Modular
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Jump to gameplay video​​​​​
Game Mechanics
Spear
The spear acts as the players' tool. It can damage through attacks but also interact with objects in the level by throwing it at them.
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Building upon the spearthrowing animation I developed the functionality to make it a key feature of how the player interacts with things.
Activation Crystals
When the player throws a spear at Activation Crystals they will activate a Soul Structure in the level that will open paths for the player to proceed.
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I wanted to make the Activation Crystals readable by form and color. So the player would learn that these objects are interactable.
Enemy Types
Melee warriors spawns from portals, chasing and attacking the player. The player however can use melee attacks to defeat them.
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Corrupted Crystals is a ranged static enemy that shoots at the player when seen. The player can defeat them by throwing the spear at them.
Health Potions
Health potions is where the player can regain health and they are often placed in a safer environment throughout the level.
They also promote movement and new strategies for the player.
The Graveyard
Establishing Goals
​When the player runs through the beginning of the level they will get a soft reveal of the Soul Spire.
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After the player seen the Soul Spire a first time they will be rewarded with a vista over the area, thus establishing the short, mid and long term goals.
Infinite Eights
In the first melee combat space I wanted the player to move around and not get trapped in corners of the combat space.
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I incorporated the Infinite Eights principle to promote flow in the area. Multiple paths can be found which gives the player agency over its decisions.
Option 1.
Option 2.
Option 3.
Option 1.
Pacing
During the level I didn't want the player to feel fatigued so I took the 10 second rule and 30 seconds of fun in consideration when designing the flow of the level.
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The time between each beat therefore try to be around the 30 seconds of fun mark before something new will happen.
Variation
I wanted to alternate between what the player experience in the level. Sometimes there could be a combat encounter, activating crystals or a scenic vista.
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For me this made the level feel more dynamic and fresh by using the features I had, but used in new alliterations.
The Bridge
Huh, a door!
After the player has activated the soul stairs and walked up to the bridge the player will be given a secondary goal.
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​By giving the player a new unforeseen goal I keep the player intrigued and a new objective to tackle.
Player Cover
When the player gets introduced to the Corrupted Crystals the goal is to get as close as possible to have an easier time hitting the crystal with the spear.
I wanted to give the player some refuge by adding high covers to hide behind between the projectiles.
Cliffside & The Bridge
Re-Establishing Goal
When I designed this level I wanted the player to always get reminded by their long term goal.
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​Through the progression of the level the player will re-establish the long term goal through new angles, giving the player a sense of progression.​
Activating The Door
To open the door that was presented to the player earlier I created a more challenging throw with the spear.
But the reward is that the door opens but also it activates the platform you are standing on so you don't need to backtrack the path you came from.
The Last Encounter Part 1
For the last combat encounter I wanted the tension to rise dramatically and create a moment where the player had to use all previous learned mechanics.
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In this first part the player activates the elevator and gets ambushed by melee warriors.
Grand Halls
The Last Encounter Part 2
For the second part of the fight the elevator stops and a Corrupted Crystal is activated.
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To activate the elevator again the player needs to find the next Activation Crystal while combat occurs.
So Close!
Just before the end of the level I present the player with their long term goal one last time.
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As the player can see the door they can't access it directly without doing one last objective.
The Journey Ends
Before the end of the level where the player has to activate the final crystal I wanted to give the player a beautiful scenic shot.
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By letting the player look back at where they originally started from gives the player a rewarding vista and a great sense of progression.
The Making Of Soul Spire
Asset references
Soul Spire references
Reference for lighting and mood
Early concepts of the level
Lighting
The Cold Environment
For the general atmosphere of the level I wanted the player to feel that you were on a place far from home and where the dead lingers.
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I went with a cold color for the general lighting, creating this ghostly look on the environment.
Guiding In The Warmth
I felt that only using the cold colors where a little to much of the same so I added some warm colors in form of lit candles.
The candles serve as a guiding light for the player, reminding them that they are on the right path.
Soul Structures
For the Soul Structures I used a cyan color that would differentiate from the physical structures.
These structures would give the player the information that they are often activated through a Activation Crystal nearby.
Threats & Interactables
For all interactables and threat I used a red color so the player could easily recognize them.
The red color would remind the player that this is something that gives damage to the player or something that a spear can activate.
Scripting
Modular Moving Tool
With this project I wanted to create a modular system that could Lerp the transform of any Actor from point A to point B over time.
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This system helped me keep player fatigue down by creating dynamic events in the level such as bridges, stairs, or elevators. ​
Picking An Actor
By having a public variable I could pick whatever type of Actor I wanted in the scene.
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After I pick an actor I store its starting transform, and then move the Actor to a position I want and store its end transform. I then set a timer of how many seconds the Lerp should take.
Playing In A Sequence
I developed it further to include so that other Actors could be activated when the first one was completed.
This change made it so it was possible to create more unique things happening in the level.
Design Iterations
Redefining Cliffside
In my first design I had a cave planned before entering the Grand Halls. But I didn't really like the idea of introducing an indoors area this early.
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As I had planned for ranged enemies I needed a place where those got introduced. So I redesigned the area to be an open space along a cliff.
Iterating On Goals
I went back to iterate on how I presented my goals. Previously to much at the same time were presented, giving the player a choice paralysis.
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By blocking the players' view I created a small soft reveal of the Soul Spire before the player reveals the full area.​​
Blockout
Whitebox
Gameplay Playthrough
Closing Thoughts
Working With A Template
By working with a pre-made template it took some time to learn how it worked. Especially with the GASP system which is relatively new to Unreal Engine.
But I also felt that I didn't have full control over how I wanted the player character to work, such as movement and aiming.
Creating A Narrative
Since I created a fantasy level I had to establish a lot from the world design on my own, all from what area to assets the player would be experiencing.
Therefore I struggled a bit in the start to establish what kind of level I wanted to make and what would fit with the style of my gameplay.
Creating A Combat System
Creating a fun and engaging combat system takes a lot of time. More than I estimated, since it needs to work mechanically good but also together with the the level.
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This is a area I wanted to refine more on if I would spend more time on the project.
Designing The Combat Spaces
I was not fully satisfied with how my Corrupted Crystals worked and how the spaces was designed for them.
If I would take the project further I would begin with reworking the Corrupted Crystals functionality and add visual feedback for the player when it shoots or not. ​
