Jewel of
the Desert
A level design concept following one traveler's crossing from a dying village, through a sun-bleached fortress — chasing rumors of a sacred spring.
Solo level design, start to finish, in a two-week vertical slice.
Working solo across a two-week production window, I owned the full pipeline for Jewel of the Desert — from level layout and blockout, to blueprint work, to the NPCs and encounters that carry players through the loop.
Blocked out the Village and Fortress from scratch, establishing scale, sightlines, and pacing across the full traversal.
Edited existing blueprints and authored new ones to support interactive props, triggers, and encounter logic.
Designed NPCs with meaningful quests that gate player progression and reward exploration.
Built turn-based combat encounters that challenge players as they push deeper into hostile territory.
Software — Unreal Engine 5.7 · Perforce
The full path, from the village gates to the fortress depths.
Blockout passes across the Village and Fortress.
The village has run dry, and rumor speaks of a hidden oasis.
The level opens on a vast, sun-scorched expanse of rolling dunes. The player's village has run dry, and rumors speak of a hidden oasis deep within the desert—a sacred spring guarded by ancient magic. With supplies dwindling, the player sets out alone, guided only by cryptic markings etched into weathered stone pillars scattered across the sands.
As the journey unfolds, the player encounters wandering merchants, hostile bandits, and mysterious ruins half-buried beneath the dunes. Sandstorms obscure the path forward, forcing detours through crumbling outposts. Each landmark brings the player closer to the oasis, but also deeper into danger—ancient guardians awaken as intruders draw near the sacred waters.
Quests and enemies stand between the player and the oasis.
The player must complete NPC quests and defeat enemies to progress through the desert and reach the sacred oasis—the only hope of saving their dying village. NPCs withhold vital items until their requests are fulfilled, and hostile creatures guard each new sector. Only by overcoming both challenges can the player unlock the final gate to the oasis and return its healing waters home.
Explore, encounter, battle — the loop repeats through every sector.
Explore
Progress through each sector comes from solving the quests players uncover along the way. Exploration reveals NPCs, side paths, and supplies, but pushing deeper into the desert depends on completing what's asked of you.
Encounter
Progress is gated by NPCs who withhold a key until the player completes a quest.
Battle
Touching an enemy triggers turn-based combat right where the player stands. Players and enemies take turns attacking, defending, or using items.
Two spaces, one continuous descent from safety into danger.
Village
The player begins in a sun-scorched desert village filled with bustling market stalls, wandering merchants, and hidden alleyways. This hub serves as the starting point where players gather supplies, accept quests from locals, and uncover rumors about dangers lurking beyond the village walls.
Fortress
Beyond the village lies a crumbling fortress half-buried in sand, its walls fractured by centuries of neglect. Players must navigate collapsing corridors, avoid unstable floors, and fight past ancient guardians to reach sealed chambers that hold valuable loot and story clues.
Turn-based combat and light resource strategy.
Turn-Based Combat
Each round, players choose to attack, defend, or use an item. Enemies act in a set order based on speed stats, and timing your defensive stance can reduce incoming damage by half.
Progression & Resources
Players earn experience after each encounter, leveling up to unlock new abilities. Simple resource management—health potions, mana crystals, and shield tokens—adds light strategy to exploration and combat preparation.
One hub, one stronghold, standing against the sands.
The level is split across two areas. The desert village serves as a central hub where players resupply, gather intel, and accept side quests. The main gameplay unfolds in the Desert Fortress—a sprawling stronghold of sun-bleached stone, guarded corridors, and trap-laden halls, where ancient mechanisms and collapsed passages stand between the player and the sacred oasis beyond.
Mood and material references guiding the art direction.
