Project information
Project details
Engine: Unreal Engine 5
Genre: 3rd person action - Solo/Co-op
Type: Full development in collab. with Guerilla Games
Project size: 12 (during production & release phase)
Status: Released on Steam, PS5, Nintendo Switch
Project summary
Lego Horizon Adventures is a collaborative effort between Guerilla Games and Studio Gobo. It's a LEGO adaptation of the Horizon Zero Dawn franchise, aimed at families and offers both solo play and co-op.
my contributions / responsibilities
As a level designer...
Desert biome level design
Contributions
As a level designer, I had ownership over the Sunfall Desert biome levels from pre-production to launch.
I worked with level artists and stakeholders to settle on the vision for the biome: difficulty level, size, available machines, what would make it unique.
I created paper prototypes, then worked on the levels from blockout to the final versions.
Gameplay objects
Contributions
I was involved in the design phase of some of the gameplay objects that can be seen throughout the game, specifically the toppling pillars, thorns and corruption.
I created vision docs for those and pitched them for the team. They ended up in the game as interactible objects that function as both a tool for the player in combat, but also as a potential hazard if the player is not careful.
Encounter design
Contributions
Part of my responsibility was the enemy spawn mark-ups in the desert levels, as well as the location of the gameplay ingredients like grass, thorns, pillars, barrels, firepits etc.
Many passes were done to ensure the intended player experience was met and ingredients could spawn in locations where they would form a meaningful gameplay moment. For example, thorns blocking off a healing bush so players needed to destroy them first.
Corruption mechanic
Contributions
I was the product owner of the Corruption mechanic. These are harmful patches on the playspace that can be eliminated by destroying the corruption 'pillar' on top of it. This shoots out a blast that hurts machines, making it both a hazard for the player but also a handy tool when destroyed at the right moment.
I designed the gameplay, made sure the animations were in line with the intention of the mechanic, and I created pre-made shapes that could be reused in different levels.
Iteration and bug-fixing
Contributions
Throughout the development, I had the responsibility to iterate based on the feedback received from players and stakeholders. I also did the bug-fixing on these levels throughout the whole development.
I also helped out on iteration and bug-fixing of the Forest and Jungle biomes when needed.
Hover for more information
Collaboration
With level artists & animatorors
Contributions
The desert levels were my responsibility from start to finish so I worked together with level artists, lighting artists, animators etc. to ensure that everyone's work fit the intended player experience and didn't cause issues.
We had to create a balance so art, lighting, animation, along with other disciplines were able to do their best work while still keeping the intended player experience in-tact.
With designers
Contributions
Since I was the product owner of the Corruption mechanic and partly the Toppling Pillars gameplay object, I collaborated with tech design a lot to ensure those objects always worked as intended.
I also worked together with the other level designers to ensure the levels were consistent. We playtested each other's levels as well to give feedback and elevate our work together.
Exploration
The most important considerations for designing these playspaces were the strict LEGO metrics, the static camera, and possible occlusion by large objects because of the camera position.
Composition and the locations of entrances and exits to the arenas needed special attention because of this restrictive camera.
Combat
The most important consideration for designing the encounters and combat arenas was the fact that many different object types needed to be able to spawn in. By using my pre-made shapes, we could ensure that objects like corruption pools, tall grass, and thorns could spawn in the same location without causing issues as they shared metrics.
My goal was to always have something to interact with in view of the player to keep the fights dynamic: a new tool to grab, a pillar to topple, corruption to destroy, or a barrel to explode.
Corruption
Corruption can be destroyed to damage multiple enemies at once. Use it at the perfect time to make the most out of its power.
Toppling pillars can trigger them too!
In some special levels, corruption pools play a much larger part. They create a floor-is-lava effect, where the player is encouraged to move around a lot more.
