The Wandering

The Wandering is a survival horror game designed and created on Unreal Engine 5. The concept stemmed from the phrase "leave it behind", which the team interpreted as leaving the old home behind, specifically in the event of a monster invading their home. The game contains mechanics for running, throwing objects, a flashlight and beyond. A group effort at large, I was placed in charge of the game’s narrative and atmosphere, as well as portions of the level design and the co-decision on what mechanics could or couldn't make it into the final game. While certain elements are somewhat incomplete, I am happy with the project as a whole and my contributions towards it.

For starters I made sure the level as almost completely dark, not dark enough to be unnavigable, but enough so to promote the use of the flashlight which can be found after the first chase, as well as create an incredibly looming atmosphere throughout. The narrative I designed was loosely based on the story of the Dimensional Shambler from the mind of H. P. Lovecraft, focusing on a beast that doesn’t just eat or kill people, but will take them to a realm between dimensions. It is because of this direction I ensured there were no bodies anywhere on the map, to make the player question the nature of their enemy. Additionally, I worked together with another game designer to gather the music and SFX required for the game, gathering and splicing them in perfect places for the game.