The Idea

The idea for this level came from inspiration from the original Doom game. With square shaped rooms, tight corridors, and hordes of enemies, the player must blast their way through and use the weapons found along the way to fight increasingly difficult enemies. Ammo and health pickups can be found in-between rooms along with weapon chests to promote player exploration with the goal of the game being a complete annihilation of the enemies.

Design Goals

• Doom-inspired Design
• Dungeon/Labyrinth Ambiance
• Refined Gameplay Experience
• Torch Lighting

Breakdown

Multiple Routes:

• Diverse paths lead to the final room, offering players choices.​

Discovery Through Exploration:

• Players can navigate through more rooms than necessary on their initial run, adding an element of discovery and adventure. No obvious “right” direction, encouraging players to explore freely.

Strategic Layout:

• Minimum of four rooms before reaching the final destination; twelve rooms for a complete clear. All routes present a similar challenge, ensuring players face balanced gameplay.

Compact Rooms, Abundant Enemies:

• Compact room sizes filled with numerous enemies demand smart tactics and strategic use of cover for a successful clear.

Progressive Weaponry:

• Progressing further in the game allows the player to access new, powerful weapons for the following rooms, adding an extra layer of excitement.

Difficulties

While creating the level it was very important that the design allowed the player to explore each room freely, while also having a balanced progression through the level. To achieve this, I continually play-tested and iterated on each room in the level. Although the player is able to take multiple routes, there is a minimum number of rooms the player must pass through to get to the final room. Through rigorous testing, I was able to find the ideal location for items and weapon chests throughout the level to perfectly balance the gameplay.