God of War inspired Level - Blog post 08
Intensifying narrative before boss fight using Level Design and Cutscenes
With this area sitting directly before the boss fight of this level, I wanted to shift the tone and create a sense of uneasiness in the player, potentially even frighten them a little. The main boss of this area is a Witch that is raising the dead so after progressing through the majority of the level, meeting her and learning about her previously I wanted this to be a place where she is now actively acknowledging you. Before The Witch was just appearing whereas now she is engaging with the player on a more direct level, she is closer to the player, signifying that a fight with her is close by.
The main inspiration for this was the first time you encounter a revenant in God of War, I loved the atmosphere before they appear, the crying getting ever close, the way that it builds tension is great and that is what I wanted to achieve here.
As the player advances through the area, the Witch would be cackling and shouting at them from a distance. At the same time, the environment around the player would begin to change, with the area becoming darker and parts of the ruins being destroyed. The idea is to make it feel like the Witch is actively affecting the space around the player rather than simply waiting for them at the end.
To create this feeling of uneasiness through the level design itself, I have used high walls and low ceilings to make the player feel more enclosed and claustrophobic. There are also areas where the player has to crouch, which further restricts their movement and reinforces that feeling. I have also made parts of the area darker and given the space a slightly maze like layout. The aim isn't to completely confuse the player, but to make them feel less certain about where they are going and what might be around the next corner.
I also wanted to experiment with a narrative cutscene here. I know God of War doesn't really use traditional cutscenes, as the camera blends seamlessly into the gameplay. I wanted to try and achieve something similar rather than taking control away from the player. To do this, I created a narrow slit for the player to move through. This naturally controls the player's movement and camera direction, meaning I can frame the narrative moment without having to take control of the camera completely.
I wanted the sequence to have a few things happen in quick succession. The Witch appears in front of the player and destroys the way forward. Then, an enemy suddenly barges through a previously closed door, revealing a new route for the player to continue through.
I like this sequence because it achieves three things at once, it gives the player more narrative information about the Witch and the area, increases the intensity of the pacing by having an enemy suddenly appear, and uses the narrative moment to open up a new route for the player.
For now I have used a simple sequence to achieve this however in the proper game this cutscene could be expanded upon.
I didn't want this area to have too much going on from a gameplay perspective. The player has just come from a large puzzle and combat area, so I wanted this section to act as a change of pace. Instead, the focus here is on a gradually building narrative. The player first gets hints through the environment, then hears the Witch in the distance, before finally seeing her during the sequence.
The goal with this area was to give the player a simple space to move through while gradually building tension. They can learn more about the Witch, start to feel a little nervous about what is coming next and then finally progress into the boss fight.
See you in the next one, Howells out!
