Game Summary

Purr in the Dark is a 3D stealth game where you play as a lost flying fox pup navigating dark attics to find your mother. Use echolocation to briefly reveal your surroundings and outsmart lurking cats as you explore this tense, atmospheric world.

Responsibilities

Designed 3 major levels (Tutorial, Stealth Intro, Bridge)
Set Dressed 3 levels
Concepted, Whiteboxed, User Tested levels
Led Level Scripting, Layout Planning, Encounter Design, and pacing Structure
Created Game Design/Level Design Documents
Created Features
Planned and Structured Project with SCRUM
Managed a 6-person team; balanced scope and systems
Created Feature and Asset Cards for Cross-Disciplinary Collaboration
Lit the level for several different lighting situations

Details

Team Size: 6 people
Genre: First-Person Echolocation
Setting: Atmospheric Navigation through a dark attic
Level Duration: 12-17 minutes
Role: Lead Level Designer, Project Manager
Development Time: 13 Weeks
Engine: Unity Engine

Trailer

Purr in the Dark on Itch io

Level 0 (Tutorial) - Sound as Sight

Player starts in a rectangular room facing away from the goal, encouraged to use echolocation to orient themselves.
A lit-up area behind the starting point visually attracts the player, subtly teaching them to look around for environmental cues.
The lamp’s position, enhanced by light sources, reinforces correct directionality while combining visual guidance with echolocation practice.
Straight hallway design introduces a hidden collectible, encouraging exploration beyond the critical path while still using traversal mechanics.
Goal is revealed but blocked, prompting the player to search for alternate routes among parallel shelves in the new section.
Player ascends ramps leading to the window, reinforcing vertical traversal and concluding with reaching the mother bat.

Level 1 (Enemy Intro) - Stealth by Instinct

Straight corridor with a visible goal serves as an initial landmark, giving players a sense of direction and clarity.
Introduction of the first enemy (cat) in its box builds tension; spotlighted empty box later creates player curiosity and uncertainty.
Narrow corridor with scattered assets increases anxiety, as players are unsure where the hidden threat may appear.
Enemy blocks the direct path, forcing players to identify and take an alternate route, reinforcing observation skills.
Reduced intensity as the cat’s location is known, allowing players to safely navigate around while planning their movement.
Final close encounter with the enemy heightens tension again, followed by a climb to the goal for emotional release.

Level 3 (Bridge) - Mastery through Movement

Initial view of the goal is blocked by environmental layout, requiring a slight 30-degree turn and ramp traversal to progress.
Entry into the "forest" section filled with assets and two hidden enemies encourages careful navigation and echolocation scanning.
Discovery of a vertical hidden ramp provides an alternate path around an enemy, teaching verticality in level design.
Bridge segment lets the player observe an alternate lower path and the enemy they avoided, enhancing spatial awareness.
High-stacked package abyss increases tension through precarious paths and hidden enemies, with light guiding toward the attic door.
Final section forces precise navigation through two enemies while abandoning the earlier easy route, fully testing echolocation mastery.

Beatboard

Concept vs In-Engine

Target Group Personas

Systemic Level Design Thinking

Multi-signal design: Combined light, sound, and geometry to influence player perception and emotional pacing.‍

Traversal as narrative: Every loop, choke point, or vista was tied to stealth psychology: "What do I know?", "How do I move?", "What do I risk?"‍
Mechanic-integrated layout: Collaborated with programmers to develop a custom “Echo Occlusion Volume”system that shaped the
echolocation space dynamically.‍
Gameplay-readability first: Prioritized intuitive communication through layout rather than HUD, ensuring stealth tension through level logic alone.

Cross-Disciplinary Collaboration

To ensure design goals were executed faithfully across departments, I created Feature Cards and Asset Cards:

Feature Cards: Defined mechanic behaviors, designer intent, input/output
triggers, and implementation details (e.g. dynamic light sources that influence
stealth readability).‍
Asset Cards: Provided prop usage context, placement guidelines, silhouette
importance, and level-readability tiers for environmental storytelling props.

This helped:
- Artists align visuals with gameplay needs (e.g. using contrast and shape for stealth cues).
- Programmers prioritize systemic features (e.g. echo occlusion triggers, light-based AI states).
- Maintain a design-driven pipeline while respecting production constraints (e.g. modularity, memory budgets, shader cost).

Echolocation Mechanic Intro

Echolocation emits a soundwave revealing the dark surroundings with glowing outlines.

The first area introduces this mechanic in a safe space, letting players experiment freely.
Level layout encourages reliance on echolocation to navigate and orient.
Limited vision and immediate feedback teach players its role as the primary tool.

Level Descriptions

Level 0 - Tutorial

Light as Attention

Light sources attract the player’s eye and guide movement in the dark.

They reduce the need to constantly use echolocation by offering clear visual cues.
Each light functions as a small tutorial, showing players where to focus.
The mix of lighting and echolocation keeps exploration engaging and dynamic.