During my first year of the master’s program in game design, we had the opportunity to work with the team at Don’t Nod, the creators of the game Jusant.
The project was to create a vertical slice of a DLC for this game in two months. We were divided into two groups of 7 and 8, each consisting of game designers and tech artists. Some tasks were worked on collaboratively (implementation of the core mechanic, character design). I was on the team working on the second part, Embrun.
Trailer
Personally, I mainly worked on these three areas:
Narrative Design
With the help of the Don’t Nod team and forums full of discussions about the game’s story, I studied the rules and major events of the lore. I made sure our story ideas were interesting and consistent with the timeline and rules of the original universe.
The DLC takes place after the Jusant; the tower’s inhabitants, who had descended into the depths, must now climb back to the surface, going against the current, to avoid being swallowed up.
Game Design - Core and Environmental Mechanics
We kept the structure of Jusant’s mechanics: a core movement mechanic (climbing with fatigue management) and an environmental mechanic (the companion that activates various elements).
We kept the climbing mechanic and replaced the companion with a new friend: Rak.
This stone insect can support our weight and also reveal handholds beneath waterfalls.
Level Design
The vertical slice consists of several stages that alternate between vertical sections (walls to climb) and horizontal sections (rest areas, walking zones).
Here are a few examples of level designs we’ve experimented with:
