Bloodseeker Revamped

Bloodseeker Revamped is an Action Adventure game prototype using UE5, C++, and Blueprints. This is a reimagining of a 2D GameMaker Metroidvania I made for a game jam. The primary inspirations for this project have been Bloodborne, God of War (2018), and Soul Reaver.

Download & Play

Requires a controller to play

Design Pillars

Exploration

Combat

Progression

I reused the pillars from the original Bloodseeker to support each aspect of the game and help focus the game design.

Level Design

I started by sketching out a 2D map with a rough idea for where enemies, puzzles, and collectibles will be located. I then created a model of the floorplan in Blender, exported that to Unreal, and continued the blockout in engine.

God of War - Wild Woods

Bloodborne - Central Yharnam

Soul Reaver - Nosgoth

I studied and pulled inspiration from God of War, Bloodborne, and Soul Reaver. My goal was to analyze how these games utilize the environment to facilitate combat spaces, puzzles, and pacing.

Guiding the Player

Critical & Side Path Techniques

The critical path follows the road. This indicates to the player that going straight ahead will lead to progress.

The cathedral weenie is partially revealed to pique the player's interest and give them an exploration goal.

The coffin on the ledge to the left has a very eye-catching golden cross to draw the player's attention and make them wonder how they can get up there to investigate.

The cliffs on the righthand side give way to reveal another route. This is signposted as a side path in several ways:

It is literally off to the side.
The width of the path is narrower.
The lighting is darker.
It is on the same elevation as the player whereas the main path increases in elevation.

Denial & Rewarding Exploration

Following a straight path is boring. To spice things up, I locked the cathedral's front doors to force the player to find a new way to progress. This temporarily denies the player the reward of reaching the cathedral so that the player's sense of progression will be increased when they do find the entrance.

The gap in the cliff on the left reveals vibrant glowing skulls and torches to incentivize the player to investigate. This is actually a side path that I want the player to find first, while the critical path is hidden by the tombstones on the right.

There is a puzzle to solve in the side area to reward the player's exploration. Since the side area is a dead end, the player must backtrack. When the return, they are shown the main area from a new perspective.

This also rewards their exploration by revealing the critical path leading around the cathedral's side to a broken window that the player can enter through.

The broken glass on the ground is shaped like an arrow as if to tell the player "this way" and the tombstones curve along the path to highlight it.

Lock & Key Progression

In this section of the level, the player spots an obstacle gating their progression. The path forces the player to get close to the gate, which will cause the eye to close. The player cannot destroy it with their sword, so they must continue down the path, causing the eye to open again as they leave.

The player will then come to a spot overlooking the eye enemy where they will gain a new ranged attack. The player can then use the ranged attack to destroy the eye and progress down the critical path.

I made sure to introduce the player to the lock before giving them the key. I also used the level's geometry to help guide the player to the solution by forcing them to see the eye react when they get close and by placing the key within view of the lock.

Puzzle Design

The puzzle in this level is less my design and more a case study on God of War puzzle design.

One of my favorite aspects of God of War is how they iterated on and expanded puzzle concepts, adding complexity at just the right pace to keep the player in the flow state.

I wanted to try my hand at designing a puzzle like the Nornir chests in God of War, so I studied how the GoW designer's introduced the puzzle to the player.

The player will see the large glowing skulls on the door.

The first skull is located next to the mausoleum door in plain view.

The second skull is hidden behind a tombstone until the player turns around to leave.

The third skull is on an island tucked inside a coffin, requiring the ranged attack.

Kratos sees the glowing chest first.

The first seal is impossible to miss. It is positioned next to the chest, perfect for showing the chest lights extinguishing.

The second seal requires aiming and throwing the axe, teaching the player that some seals will require skill.

The third seal is tucked in a coffin, showing the player that some seals will require a keen eye to find.