Unreal Engine 5 · Level Design
A 15–20 minute tactical stealth mission on the rainy cliffs of St. John’s, Newfoundland. Infiltrate a construction zone, uncover a bombing plot, and defuse explosives before a 10-minute fail-safe timer hits zero — built solo in UE5.
In The Rooms: False Foundation, players control Sid, a skilled spy infiltrating a high-security construction zone adjacent to a famous Newfoundland museum. What begins as a routine financial investigation spirals into a race against time when Sid discovers a terrorist plot to disguise a massive bombing as a “construction accident.”
Every encounter supports silent non-lethal play (vents, shadows, distractions) and aggressive tactical combat (environmental kills, flanking routes).
Cranes drop heavy loads, electrical grids can be weaponized, and gas tanks become traps — turning every room into a combat puzzle.
Rain, fog, red sniper lasers, and guard radio check-ins create constant tension. Heartbeat audio and squeaky floors make every movement consequential.
Multiple entry points span massive height differences — from crane jumps to hidden maintenance rails. Higher paths offer better intel but greater danger.
The level must communicate a major narrative shift — from a simple financial investigation into a critical counter-terrorism mission — using level geometry and environmental storytelling rather than scripted cutscenes.
Problem: How to design a non-linear stealth sandbox that provides total player agency while transitioning from a quiet, methodical investigation into a high-stakes, time-sensitive thriller.
Approach: I used a “Ghost vs. Panther” philosophy with multi-layered verticality — ziplines, gate breaches, and maintenance rails. The climax is player-triggered: disabling the signal in the Archives activates a 10-minute automatic fail-safe timer.
Result: A 15–20 minute experience that escalates from 3/10 difficulty during yard exploration to 9/10 during the final bomb dash, with every room supporting environmental lethality and a tense, Hitman-inspired atmosphere.
The level is divided into three primary zones with multiple entry paths connecting them. Three entry points give immediate agency: the high-risk zipline, the main gate, and the maintenance rail — all converging at the Site Trailer.
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Key design moments where mechanics, narrative, and spatial design work together — not every room, but every beat that matters.
The mission begins at a cold, rainy boat dock. A single Searcher guard in high-contrast orange light creates an immediate stealth puzzle requiring the player’s first tactical takedown.
The Site Trailer and Crane are shown immediately. A cutscene zooms into the trailer while the Handler explains the “Fake Accident” evidence objective. Two routes open into the yard.
The zipline lands near cement silos with a ladder waiting — naturally guiding the player up the tower for a sniper rifle and full-yard vista.
An open arena forcing use of industrial containers to leapfrog between safe zones. Success depends on patrol timing and cover discipline.
Hacking the Site Trailer terminal reveals the bombing plot disguised as a construction accident. The detonation protocol instantly raises the stakes.
Sid infiltrates the Skeleton Building for the museum keycard, crosses the wind-swept crane arm, and jumps onto the museum roof.
Blocking the signal triggers red-alert state and the 10-minute countdown — the level’s difficulty peak at 9/10.
The fail-safe forces a Panther sprint through the museum’s lower levels — from methodical stealth to high-pressure combat.
Sid reaches the subterranean basement with seconds ticking. After neutralizing the master detonator, a desperate sprint ends with a Leap of Faith into the ocean below.
A deliberate tension arc: low-pressure exploration, mid-difficulty stealth, a narrative breather, then fail-safe countdown and defusal before the escape.
Fast mechanical onboarding — ladders, crouching, and silent kills in a low-risk space to build confidence.
The Trailer Hack drops intensity — a breather so the plot twist sinks in before final escalation.
Fail-safe countdown forces Panther combat, peaking at the Master Detonator.
Fail-Safe Timer: At the 15-minute mark, a visible countdown, music tempo change, and dialogue force a shift from Ghost stealth to speed.
Squeaky Floors: In the Archives, floorboards creak even when crouching — a noise ripple VFX makes the interior feel more fragile than the construction site.
Harsh Newfoundland coastal weather defines the aesthetic — cool blue environments contrasted with warm objective lighting for natural navigation cues.
Problem: Early bomb countdown iterations felt punishing — players got lost in museum corridors during the 10-minute dash. The challenge was navigation confusion, not enemies or the timer.
Solution: Simplified basement paths to straight corridors with clear signage and pulsing red emergency lighting during the countdown — difficulty now comes from combat and time pressure, not disorientation.
Future iterations: playtesting heatmaps, additional environmental kills in the museum interior, and a secondary Intel Folders objective chain for completionists.