Luke Rowlatt
Level Designer | Writer
Halo x Resident Evil
Platform | Halo Infinite
Engine | Halo Infinite Forge
Role | Level & Environment Design
Team Size | 1
Available via:
Overview
Shrieks echo through the wet streets. You no longer know which are human, and which are the beasts that now stalk the dark corners of the night...
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A Resident Evil inspired level showcase, demonstrating environmental storytelling using asset placement, atmosphere, and lighting. I began the project with the intention to tell a full story within the confines of a single room using nothing more than the environment and the assets available within Halo Infinite's forge feature.
Key Tasks:
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Created level from blockout through to art pass, including lighting and material placements.
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Placed assets with the intention of telling a story solely through the room alone, and no dialogue.
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Used leading lines to direct the player's line of sight, and direct reveals as the level was gradually explored and interacted with.
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Made use of 3D audio zones and proximity triggered sounds to create an immersive experience.
Gameplay
Development Process
Being a big (and I mean big) Resident Evil fan, I wanted to try my hand at something with a little narrative focus with some RE flavourings! Y'know, the tense foreboding, dark and mysterious, the world we're in but beset by horrors that lurk around the corner? The usual.
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Using Halo Infinite's forge creator, I set to putting together a small level to create a small story experienced with just the limited tools I had access to in the editor itself.
Early on, I decided I wanted this to be similar to Jill Valentine's apartment that we see in the opening of Resident Evil 3 Remake. A place showing signs of neglect, and hints at the life of someone that is beginning to spiral into a dark obsession.
To set the foundation, I put together a blockout of the apartment's central layout, and getting an idea of how the player would flow through the level. A break in the exterior wall would allow the player to enter, revealing the first desk right in front of the player for them to investigate. Once they turn, they have the option of investigating further into the bathroom, or the bed area.
Once happy with the layout, I gradually replaced the primitive objects with assets. I gradually layered these up, beginning with larger items such as desks, before adding clutter, decals, and more detail.
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Of course, creative liberties were taken to get things to appear the way I wanted (the main desk was constructed from a door panel and milk crates!).
To fully sell the eerie vibe, lighting and ambience played a massive role.
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Point lights were used in select areas, such as from the TV and above the main desk, to draw player attention and create stark shadows that consume much of the room. Weaker static point lights were also used to add to the ambience, with some light spilling from behind the window blinds, and warm light from the hallway can be seen beneath the boarded up door. If you look closely, you can even see the shadow of a fan in the hallway!
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Diegetic audio was also added with the sound of rain and distant screams, as well as some sounds triggered as the player enters new areas (like the groan of metal as they cautiously cross between the external walkways). As the player enters the room, a somber non-diegetic music track also begins to play.
Finally, no creepy horror is complete without drizzling rain and a heavy fog. Rain effects were placed along the exterior walkway to save on resources, and fog was spread across the map. The fog also allowed me to create cheaper assets that looked believable from a distance, such as the police car that is just a vehicle with some light FX snapped on top, no added objects!
In the end, I'm really happy with how the level all came together! For a player looking over the scene, they may be able to see the slow narrative of somebody having gone down a deep rabbit hole of conspiracy, piecing together secrets from the UNSC, a parcel received, a strange organism that was investigated and since destroyed in desperation, eventually culminating in a struggle between two individuals now passed away in each others arms.
Who were they? What caused this all to happen? Has it spread to the city? Lots of questions I want the player to be asking, it's all part of the fun!
The level is currently available to play for free on the Halo Waypoint, or you can watch the full playthrough and put together the secrets yourself!