08 · First/Third-Person Survival Horror & Puzzle Adventure
Playrooms
Role
Game Director
Engine
Unreal Engine 5, Lumen Lighting, Level & Encounter Direction, Narrative Systems
01
Project Overview
Playrooms is an Unreal Engine 5 survival horror project set inside a sprawling, abandoned toy factory. Combining environmental storytelling, physical puzzle-solving, resource scarcity, and stalker-style enemy encounters, the project focuses on psychological tension and spatial claustrophobia.
02
My Role & Core Responsibilities
As Game Director, I led the creative and technical alignment across design, environment art, and gameplay systems:
- Defined the core horror pillars, pacing curve, and narrative progression across the factory's interconnected departments.
- Directed the spatial layout of exploration hubs, puzzle rooms, and enemy chase corridors in Unreal Engine 5.
- Supervised Lumen dynamic lighting, audio occlusion zones, and environmental storytelling cues to maximize dread without relying on cheap jump scares.
03
From Idea to Implementation (Behind the Scenes)
Effective horror lives in the contrast between safe observation and sudden vulnerability. We mapped the abandoned toy factory using a tension-and-release waveform: quiet, brightly lit assembly rooms where players piece together mechanical puzzles are followed by plunged-into-darkness storage mazes where audio cues and flickering machinery mask enemy movement. Working directly in Unreal Engine 5, I reviewed greyboxes and lighting passes with the team to ensure that every shadow and doorway served both narrative atmosphere and stealth gameplay mechanics.
04
Key Challenges & How I Solved Them
Challenge 1: Designing Spatial Puzzles That Maintain Horror Tension
The Problem: Complex logic puzzles in horror games often pull players out of immersion or stall the pacing completely if they get stuck in a safe room.
The Solution: I directed the puzzle design around physical, factory-scale machinery that requires players to route power, transport components, and manipulate assembly lines across multiple rooms while remaining exposed to potential enemy patrols. Because solving the puzzle alters the lighting and noise levels of the environment, progress itself escalates the threat.
Challenge 2: Balancing Darkness and Player Navigation in Unreal Engine 5
The Problem: Ultra-dark horror environments can frustrate players when they cannot read exit doors, interactable switches, or loop paths during an active enemy chase.
The Solution: Using UE5 Lumen, we established a strict visual language of diegetic light sources, such as emergency exit signs, spark emitters, and toy display spotlights, positioned at knee and eye level along critical escape loops. This preserved oppressive claustrophobia while ensuring players could make split-second navigation decisions under pressure.
TightWire Adventures
3D Action-Platforming & Stylized World Reconstruction · Unreal Engine 5, Blender 4.3, Blosm Pro, Google 3D Tiles