GRIM
Grim is a horror, possession-focused, third-person puzzle game.
You have died, and your sister, Jia, is in trouble. As a ghost, look after Jia and help her solve puzzles and escape the darkness that lurks in your home.
Developed by Grim Studio. To be released onto Steam in June 2024, for Windows 10 and 11 for free!
GRIM is still under development. The content shared here is subject to change and not fully representative of the final build.
GRIM is based on the Taiwanese folklore "Tiger Aunt".
You can click here to read the short story.
GRIM Trailer
GRIM is my capstone project for my M.S. Games and Playable Media program and the University of California Santa Cruz.
I worked in a team of 10 students, with my primary role as Level Designer, while still tackling a lot of Systems Design.
What I Learned:
Utilize historical references and speaking with students who understand the culture better than I do to develop a game world
Tight collaboration with other designers, artists, and producer
Design camera framing and a gameplay sandbox to create puzzles and encounters
Advance my scripting knowledge to implement a controlled tutorial and an expressive gameplay system
Research:
Collaborated with our subject matter experts on the folklore, time-setting, and architecture
Compiled references to inform level layout, including the benefits and detriments to different layout options
Eventually chosing to combine all 3 for different gameplay effects
Collaboration:
Designers
Collaborated with the Creative Director and the Systems Designer to determine:
Adaptive Camera System
Possession System
Elemental System
Engaging in design discussions and how it would impact encounter and level design
Wrote design documents for our engineers to implement, checking in on their feasibility and prioritizing features
Artists and Narrative
Heavily collaborated with our Environmental Artist to establish:
Intended emotional effect in each space
Framing each camera to direct players' attention to new destinations, gameplay interactables, and unique environments
Camera framing is crucial in presenting puzzles and delivering the narrative
Discussed with 2D UI artist to deploy a UI that is informative while maintaining gameplay space highly visible
Producer
Using my previous production experience, I supported our producer to:
Organize tasks and priorities
Keep meetings on track
Run playtests and take thorough notes
Technical Work:
Level and Encounter Design
Blockout using Unreal Engine 5
Utilized sandbox of possessables and the Elemental System to create puzzles and combat encounters
Meticulously framed the camera in each room and customized the environmental
Tutorial Scripting
GRIM has very unique possession mechanics and a room-oriented camera system.
My task was to get players comfortable with the controls in a seamless and diegetic way
Using Unreal Engine 5 Blueprints:
I scripted a series of tasks for players to learn each mechanic in the first act of the game
Balanced story pacing and tutorials
Elemental System Scripting
Each possessable has an elemental type. When possessable of different types collide, a unique reaction occurs
I scripted how each reaction behaves. With these reactions in mind, I could make unique puzzles
The Elemental System was based on the Wuxing Chinese Philosophy. You can learn more about it here.
In Conclusion:
I am very satisfied with my design and technical growth while working on this project. Combining all facets of design from systems, level, puzzle, encounter, narrative, environment, and scripting into one project.
However, what I learned the most from this project was the value of working with passionate and good people. Teammates who want to see the project succeed proactively reach out and want to collaborate on a problem and get to know each other. Working in a happy environment, even when the project is difficult, makes the journey and the experiences unforgettable. I am truly grateful to have worked with these excellent people.
Additional Screenshots
Act 1 introduction sequence to establish the story and mechanics in a controlled environment.
A puzzle in Act 3 in which the player must utilize the elemental reaction system to clear a path to access 1 of 3 key items to reach an ending.
In writing my design document for the dynamic camera system, I drew intended behaviors alongside detailed descriptions so our engineers could ask me questions for clarification and implement the desired features accurately.
