GIACOMO PALMARO
Eik Giptir
A Level Design case study inspired to Gow Of War (2018)
This project began as an expansion of a past academic assignment, where I was tasked with designing a new section for a level in God of War (2018). My main focus was on environmental storytelling - a core aspect of the game’s identity - and on crafting strong player guidance and affordance, drawing inspiration from the design methods used by AAA studios.
DESIGN PROCESS
• Research
I gathered data and references, focusing in particular on how God of War (2018) guided players through shapes and colors within its levels, and how it embedded such rich narrative into the environment through world building and pacing.
From the very start, I also considered the project’s technical side, evaluating feasibility and defining the limits of what I could achieve based on my current skills.
• Documentation
To structure the design, I created three key documents:
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Setting Outline Document - the main reference for narrative and world context.
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Level Design Main Document - covering gameplay mechanics, G.D. notes, level flow, and the breakdown of macro-areas with their core features.
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Level Layout Document - focused on Golden Path, pacing and visual representations of the concepts above, serving as a bridge toward building the level blockout in Unreal Engine.
The translation of these documents is W.I.P.
WORKING IN ENGINE
• Mechanics
I started by creating a test gym to prototype, troubleshoot, and implement the core mechanics. I worked entirely in Blueprints, aiming to achieve mechanics that were free of game-breaking bugs and polished enough to resemble their final versions, even within a blockout stage.
In addition to the core mechanics, I also implemented a few side mechanics that I considered essential to recreating some of the game’s feel.
I kept my code clean and well-structured better manage systems and iterate faster.
• Animations
Animating the Player Character was a particular challenge.
I began with material found online, but eventually had to download specific animations from Mixamo and build a custom Animation Blueprint tailored to my needs.
• Map
Starting from the documentation, I first created a blockout with simple shapes, which I then rebuilt sculpting in Unreal Landscapes to ensure the correct metrics were preserved.
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Progression of the environment as landscape, rocks, trees, and assets are gradually added.
After that, I used a low-poly Nordic environment pack to add the necessary elements and shape the atmosphere, based on my references.
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I designed the level around a spiral-shaped path, keeping the great tree at the center - the Eik Giptir (“Tree of Gift” in Old Norse) - as a constant landmark visible from any angle. This approach allowed me to create multiple impactful visual shots along the player’s journey, while also adding secondary sections that reward exploration with environmental storytelling elements and upgrades.
• Enemies
Since this is a project focused on Level Design, I didn’t need a full-fledged combat system, but I still tried to simulate one similar to God of War (2018) in the early stages of the game. There are many cannon-fodder or basic enemies, useful for allowing the player to get familiar with the controls and mechanics, and few truly dangerous enemies, who guard something valuable but optional.
I also included an environmental hazard from the original game: explosive pots. These allow the elimination of any enemy in a single hit and, from a level design perspective, let the player feel the interactivity of the environment more, while also being consistent with environmental storytelling.
RESULT
I apologize for the low smoothness of the video; the project itself is not lagging - this is an issue with the capture tool I used. I'm currently working on a solution.
I’m also working on making a downloadable and playable build of the project available soon.
• Notes
I believe I learned a lot from this project, especially:
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Working in Unreal Engine 5 while trying to be efficient and organized
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Working with animations and AnimationBP
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Studying and replicating the level design principles of a AAA game, particularly the subtle guidance elements for the player
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Working with verticality and visual shots to provide the player with reference points for navigating the level
However, there are some things I wish I had done better, such as the combat system, which, although still in its early stages, I would have liked to make more complete, and environmental interactivity - for example, I wanted to add climbable rock walls, but I ran into issues with animations and Blueprints and decided to postpone it so as not to extend the project too much, leaving that challenge for another time.
• Tools
