HL:Resist - Jordan Cordina

Jordan Cordina

Genre: Adventure / Action (First-person)
Players: Singleplayer
Platform: PC
Status: Unreleased Blockout

Position: Level Designer

Team Size: Solo

Using: Unreal Engine 5.3

Duration: 3 weeks

Created as part of an Into Games Level Design course, ran by Oliver William Walker (Ubisoft, ZA/UM)
Blockout featured on Into Games’ Discord and course leader’s portfolio as an example of ‘outstanding work’

Blockout features a fictional Half Life title, set in a UK decimated by Combine forces
Level is linear and emphasises verticality, breaking the grid and action setpieces
The player starts with weapons but depleted resources, and has the option to engage or stealth
Level goal is reaching a distant Combine facility, descending the crumbling skyline to reach it

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Make a 10 minute level for a fictional, unannounced Valve Game.
Must be first-person, using an 'Audio Trigger' gameplay ingredient.
Put gameplay first, think about what sets Valve's titles apart from every other product, and raise the bar.

Fit the context - give the player an initial break from an area of high tension with views and natural scenery, then start to ratchet it up again
Sense of scale - area should feel large and expansive, and evoke feelings of awe at the view
Precariousness - player should feel like things could give way at any moment - crumbling buildings, tight walkways, steep drops and close calls
On the inside - set up a novel opportunity to view the Combine's brutality from the inside