Iโm preparing an in-depth insight about the entire development process, which will be available soon on my portfolio!
A gameplay video is also available: ๐ฅhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fLXmUTJ5PTU
It feels a bit strange to step away from something that has been such a big part of my life for so long, but I am proud of what I learned during the process. Now Iโm ready to move on and start the next project, bringing all those lessons with me!
#IndieGame
This project took a huge amount of time and energy from my free time, but it also taught me a lot about level design, iteration and playtesting.
Hey everyone! ๐๐ป
Quick final update on my third person action level! ๐ฎ๐บ๏ธ
The level is finally available for everyone. You can now download it and play it on itch:
leomarco.itch.io/aethelia-ech...
#LevelDesign #Blocktober #UnrealEngine #Blockout #Blockvember #Level #GameDesign #Gamedev #Indie #Ue5
I am also looking for more people interested in ๐ฝ๐น๐ฎ๐๐๐ฒ๐๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด the level. If you would like to try it and share your thoughts, feel free to send me a DM! ๐ซ
All of this has been done in my free time, and these iteration passes took a lot of hours, but they are necessary to reach the quality bar I had in mind for this level.
Next I will ๐ณ๐ถ๐ป๐ฒ ๐๐๐ป๐ฒ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐บ๐ฏ๐ฎ๐ ๐ฝ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ป๐ด and ๐ฑ๐ถ๐ณ๐ณ๐ถ๐ฐ๐๐น๐๐, and run another feedback round focused on readability and vertical flow. ๐ฏ
Iโm refocusing on verticality. I revisited my references and replayed the main inspirations to study how they use height, sightlines and traversal for gameplay. Iโm reworking the spaces so every platform, ledge and drop serves a clear combat or exploration role, not just visual flair. โฐ๏ธ
Over the last few weeks I have been heavily ๐ถ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด the combat arenas, going through several passes on encounter layout, cover placement and enemy routes. Playtest feedback has been incredibly helpful and really showed me ๐ต๐ผ๐ ๐ถ๐บ๐ฝ๐ผ๐ฟ๐๐ฎ๐ป๐ ๐๐ฟ๐๐ฒ ๐ถ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐ถ๐, not just small tweaks. ๐
Hey everyone! ๐๐ป
Quick update on my ๐๐ต๐ถ๐ฟ๐ฑ ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐๐ผ๐ป ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐น๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐น! ๐ฎ๐บ๏ธ
#LevelDesign #Blocktober #Blocktober2025 #UnrealEngine #Blockout #Blockvember #Level #GameDesign #Gamedev #Indie #Ue5
Still iterating and refining, especially in the arenas, but itโs been incredibly helpful to see how everything connects!
Would love to hear what you think! ๐
Finally, Iโm also showing part of the paper design phase, along with an early Lego prototype I built to visualize the level in a hands-on way before moving into Unreal. ๐๏ธ๐งฑ
Seeing it like this first really helped me understand verticality and spatial layout before building in the engine.
โ๏ธ Final combat arena, where players can approach the encounter in three different ways: stealth, direct combat, or a more platforming-oriented route.
First, hereโs a top-down view of the map to show the overall structure and main player paths. ๐บ๏ธ
Then, Iโve included two breakdown shots:
๐ฏ Final objective, visible early as the first thing the player notices when moving through the level, with careful framing and composition.
Hey everyone! ๐
Hereโs a small #Blocktober update! ๐ง
This time, I wanted to show a more complete breakdown of my level and share some behind-the-scenes of the process. ๐งญ๐ฎ
#LevelDesign, #Blocktober, #Blocktober2025, #UnrealEngine, #Blockout, #Level, #GameDesign, #Gamedev, #Indie, #Ue5
The last playtests show that my #blocktober level has guidance issues. To fix it, I used the enemies' movements, lights, and framing. I'm looking forward to seeing if it's enough.
#leveldesign #gamedev
501 now!
Ada has reached 500 wishlists!!
I made 500 bees chase her to celebrate it ๐
#solodev #indiedev #gamedev #ue5
#Blocktober Turbine (UE4,Doom 2016)
The player needs to power a tram terminal on the surface of Mars by aligning the three wind turbines (high/mid/low).
This level work no matter which turbine you decide to approach first and the layout/enemy variety creates a lot of movement/flow for.
After the last playtests, I iterated my #blocktober level !
I'm always looking for more feedback, so do not hesitate to test it ๐
#gamedev #leveldesign
drive.google.com/file/d/115vc...
youtu.be/nyaiaJdl08s
#LevelDesign, #Blocktober, #Blocktober2025, #UnrealEngine, #Blockout, #Level, #GameDesign, #Gamedev, #Indie, #Ue5
In the next few weeks, Iโll focus on:
๐ Completing the prototype of the final car chase sequence!
โ๏ธ Revisiting combat arenas to improve pacing.
๐ ๏ธ Polishing the entire level and preparing it for the final phase.
What do you think? Iโd love to hear your thoughts and feedback! ๐ซ
One of the biggest challenges has been managing space and verticality. Itโs something Iโve always wanted to improve, and working on this project has really helped me understand how to make exploration feel more dynamic and readable. Still plenty to refine, but Iโm happy with the progress so far! ๐๏ธ
I started by defining the core pillars, gathering references to set the right tone, and creating a paper design to plan the structure. Then I prototyped key gameplay metrics, like jump distances and movement, and built the first blockout, where the level began to take shape. ๐ง ๐งฑ
Hey everyone! ๐
Iโd love to share the progress Iโve made over the past few weeks for this #Blocktober. ๐ง
Iโve been working on a third-person action level inspired by Uncharted and Tomb Raider, focusing on platforming and level scripting. ๐งญ๐ฎ
(Continue in the comments...)
Yeah!
Blockout Challenge part2 Completed! ๐
Make a Blockout in 3 hours! โฐ
Here is Overview Pic, TopDown & level Beats!
Whole process has been recorded and will be shown on YouTube soon!
Happy #Blocktober!! ๐ซ
#indie #gamdesign #leveldesign #blockout #level #game #gamedev #indiegame #ue5 #unrealengine
Blockout Challenge part1 Completed!
Make a LDD made under 3 hours!
Pics of the Narrative & Moodboard pages!
Whole process has been recorded and will be shown on YouTube soon!
Happy Blocktober!! ๐ซ
#indie #gamdesign #leveldesign #blockout #level #game #gamedev #indiegame #ue5 #unrealengine
