Collapsed Town and The Forsaken Church_Level Design

GAME
LEVEL DESIGN EXERCISE
THE LAST OF US PART 2
NAUGHTY DOG

Intro

This level was created as part of a design exercise inspired by the world and design pillars of The Last of Us Part II. The goal was to build a standalone slice that captures the franchise’s signature qualities: grounded traversal, layered encounters, and environmental storytelling.

Set in a reclaimed urban fringe where nature and memory collide, this level focuses on two distinct beats:

• Exploration & Emotional Tension:
  Players descend from an overgrown park into a semi-collapsed neighborhood, collecting resources and absorbing narrative hints through visual storytelling.


• Combat & Resolution: Transitioning through an underground tunnel, players emerge into a dynamic skatepark and churchyard encounter space, where verticality, stealth options, and environmental hazards (like ignitable oil leaks) offer varied combat approaches.

Design focus included:

• Creating natural player flow using terrain, light, and sightlines.
  
  
• Embedding narrative relics (e.g., a broken guitar monument, hand-written notes) as emotional touchpoints without interrupting gameplay.
  
  
• Balancing freedom of movement with tension, guiding players without excessive UI or scripting.

This was a solo-designed prototype, built in Unreal Engine with blockmesh and custom layout maps. It was used to demonstrate my approach to world logic, encounter pacing, and cross-discipline collaboration.

Narrative Set Up

Ellie is tracking Dina and Shimmer through a ruined part of Lewiston. A torn map shows that a group of marauders has taken over Lewiston-Clark State College and may be holding their hostage inside. To reach the campus, Ellie first climbs up to a high vista park, where she gets a distant view of the path ahead. She realizes that to move forward, she’ll need to pass through a nearby church that’s now being used as a faction outpost.

The main roads are blocked, leaving her no choice but to follow a rough path carved out by an old landslide. This leads her down into a collapsed area of the town, where the ground is unstable and filled with fallen debris. She moves through a destroyed restaurant and flooded streets, picks up supplies in an abandoned garage, and eventually crawls into a crack in the ground that’s been overrun with plants and roots.

When she emerges, she finds herself at the bottom of a former skate park that’s now filled with freight containers. This becomes one of her toughest moments yet, as she must make her way through enemies patrolling both the park and the container yard. She finally reaches a broken-down church covered in vines, where the wild overgrowth clashes with the old sense of sanctity the place once had.

Level Walkthrough

Concept & Reference

This level is set in Lewiston, Idaho. I studied the real city map and picked a triangular section of the town as the base for the layout. This area has a good mix of elevation changes, natural features like the nearby river, and different types of spaces like a park, church, and school. These elements naturally create a strong sense of progression and allow room for my own design input.

To better support gameplay flow and emotional pacing, I adjusted the size and placement of a few key locations. I made the school and park larger, and took out the hospital that originally sat next to the church, to help make traversal feel smoother and the goals easier to follow. I kept their general positions in line with the real city layout to maintain a grounded, believable feel.

The level starts at a vista park, where Ellie can look out and see the challenge ahead. This moment sets the tone for her anxiety and uncertainty at the beginning of the section. From there, she heads down into the lower part of town, where the mood becomes heavier and more frustrating. Eventually, she makes her way through an underground tunnel that brings her back up to higher ground, marking a shift toward hope and determination.

I also moved the skate park from its original spot by the river to a space near the church. The slightly lower terrain connects it back to the lower town and makes it a great spot for layered movement and unexpected encounters.

Lewiston, Idaho, Google Map Re-organizing & Concept Sketch

Flow & Overview

Beat Sequence
Beat 1 - Vista Park(Start) - Landslide Path - Collapse Town (Restaurant, Roads, Garage) - Underground Tunnel(Connect)
Beat 2 - Underground Tunnel(Connect) - Skate Park/ Container Yard - Forsaken Church (Left Wing/ Right Wing) - School Entrance(End)

Map Layout - Design Overview

Beat 1 - Vista Park

Overview:
After tracking the marauders, Ellie arrives at a park on higher ground. From the pagoda and broken fence, she spots the college building where Dina and Shimmer are likely being held. Using a telescope, she sees a collapsed vine-covered fence that might offer a way in. To reach it, she must pass through a nearby church.
Detour Route:
The main path is blocked, so Ellie follows a trail of half-fallen trees created by a landslide. Along the way, she finds a marauder’s corpse, loots supplies, and confirms she’s on the right path. From a broken fence, she spots a rooftop hole in a nearby restaurant.
Stealth Entry:
To reach it, she squeezes through rocks and avoids detection from an enemy at an outpost, using benches and cover objects. She eventually reaches the restaurant rooftop via broken truck cargo and enters through the hole.

Vista Park Top Down Map



Vista Park Gameplay Sequence

Beat 1 - Restaurant Rooftop & Surrounding

Overview:
After reaching the rooftop, Ellie enters the restaurant through a hole caused by fallen debris. This segment shifts the experience from open traversal to interior exploration, allowing players to slow down and search the environment freely.
Interior Exploration:
The restaurant interior offers a short pause in pacing, with scattered resources and subtle environmental cues guiding the player's movement. The tighter layout invites deliberate exploration and reinforces the shift away from wide traversal paths.
Post-Exit Resource Route:
After exiting the building, Ellie jumps down from a cargo container into an open street. She can choose to enter a narrow alley nearby to gather additional supplies. This optional loop extends the exploratory rhythm and offers light rewards before transitioning into the next major traversal segment.

Restaurant Rooftop & Surrounding Top Down Map



Beat 1 - Restaurant 2nd Floor

Entry and First Floor Descent:
After entering the restaurant, Ellie can follow the collapsed floor slabs down to the first floor. On the way, she may spot an open shelf in the corner containing some supplies, including a medical box.
Blocked Upper Route and Return Path:
After gathering resources, Ellie might try to reach the opposite side of the second floor, but the path is blocked by debris and furniture. To cross over, she must descend first and return via the staircase.
Alley View and Exit:
At the top of the stairs, Ellie sees a broken window overlooking the alley, where an infected corpse lies among collapsed shelves. In the nearby storage room, she finds another corpse with a melee weapon. After collecting all supplies, She exits through a cargo container, using its sloped surface and jump out from a hole to reach the street.

Restaurant 2nd Floor Top Down Map


Beat 1 - Restaurant 1st Floor

Kitchen Entry and Optional Resource Path:
After descending to the first floor, Ellie enters a kitchen space where the main door is blocked by a table. She must jump over the kitchen counter to reach the open area. Alternatively, she can walk beneath broken slabs to explore the opposite side of the kitchen and collect supplies from the shelves.
Stage Area and Optional Guitar Moment:
From the counter, Ellie spots a small stage still lit by a working spotlight. A guitar and microphone invite her to interact, offering a quiet moment of peace—briefly escaping her anxiety about Dina and Shimmer, yet triggering memories of Joel. This optional interaction creates a tonal shift, blending calm reflection with underlying grief.
Main Floor Exploration and Exit:
After the stage, Ellie explores the main dining area of the restaurant. She can scavenge supplies from the bar, counter, and tables. The overturned furniture and blocked entrance hint at past conflict. After looting, she returns upstairs via the staircase to rejoin the second-floor path.



Restaurant Gameplay Sequence

Restaurant Post-Exit Gameplay Sequence

Beat 1 - Collapsed Town

Open Exploration with Clear Goal:
Ellie enters a collapsed town with multiple paths, but her goal remains to reach the church and return to higher ground. The area is surrounded by water and broken roads that limit movement.
Blocked Roads and Route Options:
She can search a parking lot for supplies and crawl through a broken fence to find a corpse. At a split, one road is blocked by trunks and debris, while another leads through flipped cars and a broken fence into a collapsed garage.
Hidden Tunnel and Exit Paths:
Climbing onto a raised flower bed, Ellie finds another corpse and a tunnel hidden by overgrown vines. This path leads upward and connects to Beat 2. From the garage, she can also see the tunnel and church, and reach the exit by shimmying across a broken road.



Beat 1 - Broken Garage

Multiple Entry Paths:
Whether Ellie jumps over a flipped car or balances across a fallen tree trunk, both routes lead her into the collapsed garage.
Resource Recovery and Clues:
Inside the garage, she finds various resources including explosives, trap bombs, crafting materials, and ammo. A note left by the previous occupant mentions a growing gap caused by overgrown vines, hinting at a possible way back to higher ground. Ellie can also upgrade her gear at the nearby workbench.
Rooftop View and Confirmation:
From a hole in the ceiling, Ellie climbs onto the roof by jumping up a nearby car. From this vantage point, she can clearly see the tunnel ahead and confirm the church’s direction before continuing forward.



Collapsed Town & Garage Gameplay Sequence

Beat 2 - Skate Park & Container Yard Encounter Overview

Emerging from the Crack and Entering the Danger Zone:
After crawling out of the tunnel, Ellie finds herself at the bottom of a skate park, directly beneath a wooden platform. The curved concrete walls amplify enemy voices, making it difficult to judge their number or location. The area is packed with oil barrels, some sealed and others leaking, suggesting it is being used as a temporary fuel depot.
Through gaps between the barrels, she spots a truck unloading cargo, with one enemy patrolling nearby. On a higher skate structure, another guard surveys the area, while footsteps move overhead on the wooden platform as someone checks a cargo list.
Crossed Sightlines and Rising Pressure:
To the left, a large container truck is parked sideways with its opening facing away from Ellie. She cannot see the enemy directly but notices movement beneath the truck, revealing another enemy unloading cargo. The truck conveniently blocks the view from the central patrol and elevated lookout, creating a possible hidden path toward the church’s left wing and the side garden.
To the right, a cluttered road leads toward the church’s main entrance, filled with vehicles, forklifts, and scattered obstacles. While no enemies are visible at ground level, a sniper is stationed atop the church bell tower and scans the area. Across the road is a container yard. Ellie cannot see whether enemies are stationed there, but the yard may offer an alternate route to the right wing of the church.
Tactical Choices - Frontal Assault, Left Wing, Right Wing, or Create Chaos?
Ellie must quickly choose her approach.
She can move straight through the open area, using trucks, cargos, cars, barrels, and obstacles as cover while engaging enemies and pushing toward the left side of the church.
She can flank left, sneaking under the container truck and silently taking out the nearby enemy to reach the garden path that leads to the church’s left wing.
Alternatively, she can attempt a risky approach toward the right, navigating the cluttered road and slipping into the container yard while avoiding the sniper’s line of sight to reach the right wing.
She can also ignite the leaking oil barrels with a Molotov to create an explosion that distracts enemies and opens a window to escape or sneak through.
Each path presents different risks and opportunities. The choice is hers.

Beat 2 - Skate Park Left Wing Paths

Left Flank: Stealth with Higher Risk:
Ellie can take the left flank to reach the church’s left wing while staying out of the sniper’s line of sight. However, this path has more enemies. She can move under the container truck, take down two enemies quietly, and use crates or vehicles as cover to reach the garden.
Right Flank: Indirect but Safer:
Alternatively, Ellie can move along the right side, using barrels, trucks, and bushes to sneak into the same garden from another angle. This route is less crowded but still under partial threat from the sniper on the church tower.
Frontal Assault or Distraction:
If she chooses a direct approach, Ellie can face enemies head-on using open containers and scattered cover. At any point, she can throw a Molotov toward the skate park to ignite the oil barrels and create chaos to distract the enemies.



Left Wing Path Gameplay Sequence


Beat 2 - Skate Park Right Wing Paths

Exposed but Direct:
Taking the right flank forces Ellie into open view. The sniper on the tower, a lookout on the platform, and an outpost guard may spot her. With smart use of cover and timing, she can avoid detection or take out the outpost enemy to clear the path.
Container Yard Option:
Ellie can enter the container yard through a broken wall. Inside, she finds a smoking enemy sitting on a pallet. Taking him out allows her to reach a rooftop with a telescope and loot a supply tent with ammo and medical kits. A roaming patrol moves between the road and yard, adding extra risk.
Alternate Push or Bypass:
Ellie can also skip the yard entirely and sneak along the open road, using scattered cover to reach the church’s right wing.
These are just some of the possible main routes—players can combine paths, shift strategies mid-way, or create new approaches on the fly.



Right Wing Path Gameplay Sequence

Beat 2 - Church Garden

Left Garden - Emotional Disruption and Route Forward:
Ellie enters the church’s left garden and spots a large statue playing guitar, clearly not original to the church. The guitar reminds her of Joel, triggering quiet tension. Two guards patrol the area. She can sneak past using benches and bushes or stealth-kill to clear the way.
Behind the statue, she notices a broken church window roughly boarded up. Through the cracks, Ellie glimpses vines piercing the opposite wall and window, clearly a path forward. This visual hint strengthens her goal to push through the church’s left wing.
Right Garden - Confirmation and Alternate Entry:
To the right, Ellie finds a tent with a guard checking a loot list. She can either sneak into a broken church window or crawl behind the tent to take him out.
Inside, she finds Dina and Shimmer’s names, confirming this is the right path. She can then use a barrel to enter the church’s right wing.

Church Garden Gameplay Sequence



Beat 2 - The Forsaken Church Encounter Overview

Disrupted Sanctuary and Path Forward:
Entering from the church’s left wing, Ellie sees a chaotic interior. The main wall is sealed off with barbed wire and wooden barricades, but light beams in from both a crack at the bottom and a cross-shaped stained glass above, clearly marking the exit.
Ahead, she spots a large statue under a spotlight in the right wing. Between them, the main area has been turned into a long makeshift barricade built from stacking pews and bookshelves, seemingly to block the overgrowing vines. But the vines have already broken through, tearing down a portion of the second floor’s wooden platform. That collapsed floor slab now leans over the barricade, forming a potential path over the wall, if Ellie can reach it from the intact second floor section.
Enemy Control and Strategic Openings:
The central barricade is heavily guarded, with a sniper stationed on the upper balcony, an enemy patrolling the second floor, and multiple enemies patrolling below. The space also shows signs of use: scattered supplies, cleared-out floor space, and a mahjong table suggest this was once a temporary base. Ellie must find a way through and reach the ladder leading to the second floor, where a makeshift wooden ramp leads to the broken platform and over the barricade.
Fortunately, the dense arrangement of pews and bookshelves offers numerous blind spots and crawl spaces, letting her sneak across both wings.
Alternate Entry - Right Wing Chapel and Flanking Option:
If Ellie enters through the right wing, she finds a lone marauder kneeling and praying in front of the statue. A successful stealth takedown will let her flank behind a fallen bookshelf, gaining cover. Otherwise, peeking out risks exposure to the upper floor sniper.
From either side, Ellie can crawl, flank, or engage directly through the central opening. Supplies near the blocked front entrance provide reward for risk, but the only route forward, the collapsed platform leading over the barricade, requires reaching the sniper’s upper balcony via the central ladder.

Beat 2 - The Forsaken Church First Floor

Left Wing - Safer Entry, Limited Sight:
From the left wing, Ellie collects some supplies and catches a glimpse of the right wing. Though the exit isn't fully visible, the earlier vine-covered wall with the cross window hints at the path forward. From here, she’s safe from the sniper above and can crawl between environmental obstacles to reach the right wing or sneak toward the center.
Right Wing - Clearer View, Higher Risk:
The right wing offers a better overview of the church layout and ladder location, but is exposed to the sniper on the second floor. Entering from here gives Ellie a stronger tactical understanding, but less cover.
Ladder Push Options:
Regardless of entry, Ellie must pass a stationary guard watching the center aisle. She can either time her movement to slip by, or stealth-kill the enemy to earn
resources and open the path to th

Beat 2 - The Forsaken Church Second Floor

Sniper and Balcony Vista:
Ellie climbs the ladder and hides behind boxes to observe the sniper’s pattern. After taking him out, she reaches the balcony and sees the shattered cross overtaken by vines, turning the cross into a tomb-like shape. The exit now feels symbolic, like a rebirth.
Second Floor Patrol:
Moving down the wooden platform, Ellie encounters a melee enemy guarding the path. She must fight carefully using cover, stealth, close-range weapons, or even push him down the floor, avoiding a fall back to the ground.
Jump, Escape, and Supplies:
After defeating the enemy, Ellie jumps to the broken slab, climbs down the vines, and lands near the barricade. A medkit and ammo lie nearby. Stepping out, she reaches the school fence gap, ending Beat 2 and continuing her journey to find Dina and Shimmer.





The Forsaken Church Gameplay Sequence