O Abismo - The Cursed Sewer
Role: Senior Level Designer / Level Artist / Environment Designer
Tools: Unreal Engine 5, Maya
Studio: Sori Games
IP: O Abismo (The Abyss)
Gender: Action RPG
Platform: PC
Level Design Breakdown
01 - PROJECT CONTEXT
Brief: The Cursed Sewer is the opening level of O Abismo, a cooperative action project designed for up to 4 players in a third-person perspective.
Role: Level Designer responsible for spatial layout, blockout metrics, encounter pacing, and environmental storytelling integration.
Constraints: Must accommodate 4-player cooperative movement smoothly, maintain a fixed corridor width to prevent third-person camera clipping.
Design Challenge: Successfully transition the player experience from a functional, utilitarian medieval sewer layout into an anomalous, cosmic horror-infused environment (The Void / A Treva) without breaking navigational readability or combat fluidity.
02 - PLAYER EXPERIENCE
Desired Experience: A mounting sense of unease and claustrophobia as a structured municipal environment is violently corrupted by an alien anomaly, culminating in coordinated tactical combat.
Experience Arc:
Staging: Calm and organized grouping in the Safe Zone.
Rising Action: Controlled exploration across modular scaffolding and water channels.
Tension Peak: Encountering violent structural ruptures and organic purple tentacle growth (The Void).
Climax: Open arena combat inside the Boss Chamber.
03 - DESIGN PILLARS
Oppressive Environmental Progression: Seamless shift from functional urban architecture to anomalous cosmic horror via dynamic structural destruction.
Cooperative Fluidity: Unobstructed spaces scaled explicitly for 4-player tactical synergy and smooth camera work.
Pacing via Friction and Respite: Rhythmic alternation between safe staging zones, chokepoints, and large-scale arena engagements.
04 - SPATIAL STRUCTURE
Macro Layout: Linear progression divided into discrete sequential chunks, leading from a municipal entry point deep down into an anomalous subterranean abyss.
Spatial Hierarchy: Clearly demarcated from narrow functional corridors to expansive, high-priority combat arenas.
POIs: Safe Zone entry, Modular Scaffolding bridge, Void Rupture Chokepoints, and the final Boss Chamber area.
05 - PLAYER FLOW
Primary Flow: Guided strictly along blue water channels and linear stone corridors moving forward toward objective markers.
Secondary Flow: Elevated wooden scaffolding paths offering alternative vantage points and vertical positioning.
Optional Flow: Side pockets within safe zones and intermediate rooms for build preparation and resource gathering.
Shortcuts: Direct path openings carved out by organic wall ruptures connecting separated chunks.
06 - PLAYER DECISION-MAKING
Information: Visual cues provided by purple organic structures (The Void) signaling upcoming combat intensity and environmental shifts.
Choice: Deciding whether to hold ground in narrow choke points or push out into wider open areas during multi-directional hordespawn.
Consequence: Mispositioning leads to camera clipping or being overwhelmed by AoE attacks inside confined segments.
07 - ENCOUNTER DESIGN
Encounter Goal: Test squad coordination, target prioritization, and crowd-control capabilities under pressure.
Threat Composition: Mixed-ranged groups utilizing chokepoints for ambushes followed by elite units in wider chambers.
Combat Flow: Engage enemies at a distance along corridors, fall back or pivot during wall ruptures, and disperse for area denial in arenas.
08 - TRAVERSAL & READABILITY
Metrics:
Safe Zones: Footprint of 8x12m (96m)
Combat Corridors: Fixed width of 4.00 m.
Mini-Boss / Elite Rooms: Footprint of 8x8m (64m)
Boss Chamber: Footprint of 12x12m (144m)
Verticality: Controlled use of wooden walkways and platforms above water level channels.
Sightlines: Clear, uninterrupted corridors designed to maintain third-person camera visibility.
Navigation: Intuitive pathfinding driven by channel layouts and lighting transitions.
Landmarks: Structural columns, distinct blue water tracks, and prominent "BOSS CHAMBER" signage.
09 - SYSTEMS & TECHNICAL DESIGN
System: Unreal Engine blockout grid and modular static mesh collision volumes.
Purpose: Ensure precise player scaling, correct jumping/dodging distances, and prevent physics clipping.
Implementation: Standardized grid-snapped white blocks with distinct color coding for water channels and organic corruption elements.
Player Impact: Flawless collision response and smooth third-person camera tracking during high-intensity movement.
10 - ENVIRONMENTAL STORYTELLING
Intent: Visually communicate the contamination of a mundane utility system by an otherworldly force.
Spatial Evidence: Shattered white block walls pierced by geometric purple "tentacles" and displaced masonry.
Player Interpretation: Understanding that standard civil infrastructure has collapsed under the weight of an ancient, unnatural entity (The Abyss).
11 - ITERATION
Problem: Early corridor layouts caused third-person camera jitter and blocked squad movement during intense evasion maneuvers.
Observation: Playtesters frequently clipped into walls when dodging simultaneously in narrow spaces.
Hypothesis: Expanding and standardizing corridor width will eliminate camera collisions without sacrificing tension.
Change: Widened all primary combat paths to a fixed 4.00-meter standard.
Result: Eliminated camera clipping issues and restored smooth squad mobility.
First Layout
Final Layout
12 - PLAYTEST / VALIDATION
Observation: The final arena felt too cramped for 4 players dodging area-of-effect boss attacks.
Change: Expanded the Boss Chamber footprint to $144m (12x12m) and lowered central clutter.
Result: Improved kiting options and balanced encounter difficulty for cooperative play.
13 - DESIGN TAKEAWAYS
Standardized Metrics: Maintaining strict width rules is vital for third-person cooperative camera performance.
Environmental Contrast: Storytelling through geometric destruction effectively sets tone changes without exposition.
14 - FINAL EXPERIENCE
Final Layout: A polished blockout featuring clear pacing transitions from sterile utility sewers to organic horror arenas.
Gameplay: Fluid 4-player cooperative action with balanced chokepoints and expansive boss combat.
Outcomes: A cohesive, highly readable 10-minute vertical slice ready for art pass and lighting integration.
