The Chasm

Length: 1 Month

Role: Level Designer

Project Type: Personal (Solo)

You're an explorer scouring the depths of an unexplored hole in the ground. As you explore you realize that this chasm you've discovered isn't like any old hole. You soon notice that ascending within the chasm makes you feel sluggish and ill. You dub this phenomenon, “The Ill”. You start to realize that the only way out is down.

Level Description

The Chasm is a first-person mini parkour adventure. For this project, I wanted to make 1 short linear level that descends. The player would have 3 different paths to choose from, all of which are connected in different ways.

Player Mechanic: Wall Running

Start: The Chasms Edge - Overlooking the chasm from the edge, the player jumps right in, taking one of the 3 paths to the bottom.

Path 1: Upside Down Forest - The Upside-Down Forest is a forest thats...upside down. The player will need to jump from treetop to treetop before the timer runs thin.

Path 2: Crystal Tunnel – Filled with crystals flicking in all their beauty. The tunnels can be difficult to navigate. The player will be forced to do difficult parkour while trying not to fall into acid rivers & pits. (the void)

Path 3: The Drop – The drop is high-risk high reward. The player can make massive strides toward the bottom but runs a higher risk of falling to their deaths.

End: The End – The secrets to “The Ill” are held here.

Level Design Document

Planning

Thought Process

My level setting is entirely inspired by Made In Abyss, a TV show about explorers delving into a giant hole in the ground called The Abyss. The idea of an adventurer delving down into a series of cave systems with no other direction to go but down intrigued me.

Level Objectives

Main – Get to the bottom of the chasm and discover the secrets behind The Ill.

3 Optional

1 – Collect 3 Anomalies

2 – Beat the Time Trial Under 22 Seconds

3 – Finish Level Without taking Fall Damage

-Start-

The player is given 3 different paths to take.

-Upside Down Forest

-Crystal Tunnels

-The Drop

-Upside Down Forest-

A forest with weirdly oriented trees. The player will need to beat the time trial to open the door to the end.

-Crystal Tunnels-

Path 2 has a maze, a giant crystal blocking the path forward, and a parkour set piece that at the end, holds the key to removing the giant crystal. It's also filled with acid.

This path holds 1 Anomaly

-The Drop-

Easiestly the hardest path to take, but also the shortest. This section holds 2 anomalies. One you can get to by doing a pretty difficult parkour section, the other requires the player to be in path 2 first.