Goner
Cancelled project
Level Designer
Overview
Goner is a FPP survival horror game. You will travel to a mysterious location following the steps of your missing mother. You'll need to fight -and run- for your life while you try to figure out what is going on and find her. In your adventure, you'll clash with a lost civilization and a mix of present and extinct fauna. Ultimately, an unsettling truth will be revealed that will change history as you know it...
What was my work?
At Goner, I was the team's Level Designer. My responsibilities included designing and building the various areas of the game, each with its unique characteristics, tailored to fit the narrative and pacing of the overall experience.
In each area, my tasks involved designing layouts, blocking out spaces, placing and setting gameplay elements, and collaborating with the art team for set dressing.
Goner Gameplay
Zone 3
Citadel East
Anthony is transported to the past due to the powers of the Pyramid. He must navigate through the ruins of an ancient civilization to find his friends while also escaping a Raptor's nest.
This area is designed to teach players advanced Parkour mechanics, knife techniques, the basics of stealth, initial interactions with dinosaurs, and the Campfire healing mechanic.
Design
Breakdown
Zone 2 is divided into five sub-zones (stages), each with a goal and defined gameplay.
Parkour and puzzle-solving section.
The player's goal is to find clues about his friends. This stage teaches the player basic platforming and movement mechanics. Additionally, it introduces certain dynamics for solving puzzles.
This stage is designed as a linear-level.
Stage 1
Level Design Process
Zone 2 - Citadel East Layout
Zone 2 - Citadel East Gameplay
Parkour section.
The player's goal is to reach the campfire.
In this stage, we aimed to introduce the player to the concept of fear. Using sound and lighting effects, we placed the player in a creepy nighttime setting to create tension and anxiety. This is also the moment we introduce dinosaurs, with a Raptor emerging from the darkness.
This stage is designed as a linear-level.
Parkour and puzzle-solving section.
The player's goal is to escape from Raptors.
In this stage, the goal was to introduce one of the dynamics we will use multiple times in the future: the chase. By creating tension and using the mechanics the player has learned, we present this challenge to them.
This stage is designed as a linear-level.
Parkour and stealth section.
The player's goal is to escape from Raptor's Nest.
This stage introduces players to stealth mechanics, focusing on noise detection in a tense environment. Players follow a guided path that leads into the stealth tutorial, encountering raptor nests and noise puddles to highlight the dangers of sound. Visual cues like a hollow tree exit and stealth plants aid in quiet navigation. The design encourages crouching, slowing movement and emphasizing sound management. By the end, players will gain confidence in stealth and understand noise-based detection better.
This stage is designed as a linear-level.
Parkour section.
The player's goal is to heal his injuries in a campsite area.
After playtesting, we realized that stage 4 was too long. Therefore, we decided to reduce this stage to a smaller area where we teach the player about campfires and their uses.
This stage is designed as a linear-level.
Stage 2
Stage 3
Stage 4
Stage 5
Contributions
Zone 2 Citadel East
Zone 3 Highlands
Zone 4 Quarry
Zone 5 Hardwoods
Blocking
Gameplay Elements placing
Gameplay Elements setting
Blocking
Gameplay Elements placing
Gameplay Elements setting
AI setting
Set Pieces setting
Pitch
Puzzle Design
Blocking
Gameplay Elements placing
Gameplay Elements setting
AI setting
Set Pieces setting
Pitch
Blocking
Gameplay Elements placing
Gameplay Elements setting
AI setting
Set Pieces setting
Visual Scripting
Zone 4 Quarry
Anthony gets to the Quarry, a mining area from the ancient civilization, being also the territory of Pachies. His goal is to reach the Sacrificial Cave and get the Scare Whistle as a key item to be used in the Scare Towers and open access to the Hardwoods.
Zone 4 - Quarry Layout
Zone 4 is divided into three districts (stages), each with a goal and defined gameplay.
Traversal, puzzle-solving and fauna interaction section.
The player's goal is to find the third Scare Tower. The player is in a densely vegetated area near a rocky quarry.
This section includes the Pachy Chase, an escape challenge featuring parkour where players must escape from a Pachy.
Stage 1
From Blocking
to Set Dressing
Zone 4 - Quarry Gameplay
Zone 4
Layout
Level Design
Breakdown
Goner game world is divided into different areas, which we call zones. Each zone features distinct environmental characteristics and plays a specific role in the game's story and gameplay.
Every zone has a clear objective that is essential for completing the game.
Below is a breakdown of the design process for one of the zones I worked on.
Stage 3
Traversal and stealth section.
The player's goal is to use Scare Whistle to unblock paths blocked by Pachys and Triceratops and reach Hardwoods.
Stage 2
Traversal and puzzle-solving section.
The player's main goal is to traverse Sacrificial Cave and find Whistle.
This stage centres on solving the game's main puzzle, which, upon completion, rewards us with the mouthpiece. We are then introduced to the T-Rex for the first time through a jump scare cinematic.
Gameplay
Breakdown
Design
Breakdown
Parkour through a chase
We aimed to challenge the player to use the parkour mechanics in a series of indoor chases with dinosaurs.
As a result, we have this Pachy dinosaur chase where the player has to run away from them in an old mining town.
We designed puzzles where the player had to use the environment. In this case, we have to close the tower so that the torch doesn't go out and we can open the way to the lift.
By using the environment the player will be able to overcome the puzzle.
Environmental Puzzles
Stealth with dinosaurs
We introduced dinosaur nest areas where the player must stealthily pass very close to them in a dark environment. We aimed to enhance the player's sense of fear and tension.
Trasversal Variety
We used different mechanics to enhance the traversal experience.
Scare Towers act as a Landmark
To ensure clear navigation, we designed the Scare Towers as highly readable silhouettes that stand out from the environment. Their height and distinct shape make them visible from multiple vantage points, allowing players to naturally orient themselves. During iteration, we refined their placement to maintain their role as focal points without disrupting exploration flow.
We applied composition techniques to direct the player's attention towards key objectives. Initially, the tower wasn’t visible from the Pachys’ nest entrance, leading to confusion. We adjusted terrain elevation and rearranged structures to ensure players always had a clear goal, while maintaining organic level flow. We used the contrast created by the red colour to draw the player's eye to the target.
Translated with DeepL.com (free version)
Composition in player guidance
Visual Language
Memorable Gamespaces
Framing the objective
We wanted The Quarry to feel distinct and atmospheric, reinforcing both gameplay and storytelling. To achieve this, we designed its layout to contrast openness with tight, oppressive spaces, creating tension. Rock formations and abandoned structures serve as recognizable landmarks, ensuring the area is visually striking and easy to navigate.
We established a consistent visual language to help players interpret the environment intuitively. Specific shapes and colors indicate safe paths, hazards, and climbable areas, reducing the need for explicit tutorials.
To emphasize the Scare Tower, we used spatial framing by aligning rock formations and broken structures to naturally guide the player's view. The scale and spacing of elements were carefully adjusted to ensure the tower remained the focal point while allowing for player-driven discovery rather than forced guidance.
Zone 3 Highlands
This zone is meant to work as a HUB area that connects with every zone. With a central final puzzle (Mummy Cave) after its resolution, the final part of the game is launched. There are areas blocked until the player progresses via items and/or story.
Zone 3 - Highlands Layout
From blocking
to set dressing
Zone 3 is divided into three sub-zones (stages), each with a goal and defined gameplay.
Parkour and puzzle-solving section.
The player's goal is to reach the top of the first Scare Tower. The player is placed in an area of nature and ruins where he will encounter Richards-type dinosaurs.
This stage is designed as a linear-level.
Stage 1
Hub section.
This area serves as the game's main Hub, providing access to various locations.
The player's main goal is to search for an alternative to the path blocked by Triceratops.
Near the river, we will find some mills, where Triceratops will be located. This area will specifically feature stealth gameplay.
Parkour and puzzle-solving section.
The player's goal is to escape the cave. They begin in a cave that contains an abandoned mine from an ancient civilization. Throughout the cave, players will encounter various parkour challenges, puzzles, and the first appearance of a Pachy-like dinosaur.
This stage is designed as a linear-level.
Design Breakdown
Zone 3 - Highlands Gameplay
Stage 2
Stage 3
Zone 5 Hardwoods
The Hardwoods will serve as a brief but intense setting where the entire premise of the story is revealed and neatly tied up. In the end, the final revelation and objectives will be clear and well-defined.
We will witness thrilling moments featuring the fiercest dinosaurs, such as Rex and the Raptors, highlighted during chases and cutscenes. Additionally, every encounter with the remaining characters will be resolved.
We will learn about Kincaid, Vulyka, Daniel, and Maggie, as well as the complete story surrounding the ancient civilization and the Pyramids.
Zone 5 is divided into four sub-zones (stages), each with a goal and defined gameplay.
The player's goal is to find the T-Rex.
This first stage features "soft" platforming mechanics like crouching and balancing, accompanied by eerie sounds. Players encounter a jumpscare with Vulyka and can find an abandoned camp belonging to Maggie and Daniel, which reveals Maggie’s location and provides views of the levels. From the camp, players can see her construction site in a valley where dinosaurs like Edmontosaurs, Triceratops, and Allosaurus roam. Entering the Hardwoods triggers a cutscene where the player finds the T-Rex.
This stage is designed as a linear-level.
Stage 1
The player's main goal is to escape from T-Rex.
After the cutscene introduces the T-Rex, the player finds themselves in the hardwood forest. Here, they encounter some small Richards attempting to attack their friend Daniel, when the T-Rex reappears, initiating another chase. The dynamics of this chase mirror those of the Pachy chase, requiring the player to utilize parkour mechanics to escape from the T-Rex. At the end of this stage, Vulyka arrives just in time to save Anthony from the dinosaur.
After revisiting the blocking and gameplay, we decided to incorporate a special segment within the chase where the player must navigate through a group of wild dinosaurs.
This stage is designed as a linear-level.
Parkour section.
The player's goal is to find the Vulyka secret spot. In this stage, our design goal is to set the player in two different scenarios. The first one is in a dark and dense hardwood where he must explore. The second one is the blood pit area where the Raptor's nest are located. This area is designed to be a stealth area where the player must cross the blood pit using stealth.
This stage is designed as a linear-level.
NOTE: This zone is unfinished due to the cancellation of the project.
Level Design Process
Puzzle-solving section.
The player's goal is to find the Maggie's camp.
This stage features an environmental puzzle centred around torches. Each torch has a limited amount of time it can remain lit; when this time runs out, the torch is extinguished and cannot be used again. The puzzle takes place in a labyrinth where the player must collect torches to navigate the correct path. Without a torch, the player risks being attacked by Raptors in the dark. The objective is to find the right path while holding a lit torch to avoid being attacked by the Raptors.
This stage is designed as a semi-linear level.
Design Breakdown
Stage 2
Stage 3