Narrative Design UE5

Software used in the project:

  • Unreal Engine 5

  • Adobe Photoshop

  • Github

  • Twine

In this story‑driven open‑world adventure, the player awakens as the last surviving knight of a once‑prosperous kingdom now devastated by an overwhelming assault from the Dark One and his armies. Emerging from the ruins of a battlefield on the kingdom’s outskirts, the player must piece together what remains of their homeland, reconnect with scared survivors, and rebuild the strength needed to push back against the encroaching darkness.

As the knight regains consciousness in a shattered town square, they quickly discover that the war is far from over. With the royal army destroyed and the king desperate to counterattack, the responsibility to restore hope falls entirely on the player. They must speak with townsfolk, gather intelligence, re‑arm, and resupply, forming renewed bonds with blacksmiths, commanders, vendors, and other citizens who have managed to endure the chaos.

Beyond the town’s protective walls lies a fully explorable open world, where players can venture into forests and mountains. The world encourages crafting and building, allowing players to forge weapons and reinforce armour. Every crafted item and every structure contributes meaningfully to the player’s ability to survive and eventually take the fight directly to the Dark One’s domain.

The journey culminates in a daring expedition into enemy territory — a hostile realm shaped by dark magic and twisted architecture. Here, the player must confront powerful foes, uncover the truth behind the war, and ultimately challenge the Dark One in a final effort to end the conflict and restore peace to the kingdom.

This narrative blends player‑driven progression, world‑building, and interactive storytelling, offering a heroic arc that grows naturally from survival and reconstruction to empowerment and decisive action. It is designed to be both immersive and replayable, giving players freedom to shape their own path while maintaining a strong, character‑focused storyline made with Mongo Games’ Open World Survival package and Unreal Engine 5.

Description:

In this project, I developed narrative systems and lore for the game environment in a short open-world-style game involving crafting, PvE environments, and a story-driven narrative built in Unreal Engine 5.

** Please note this video is in 1.5x Speed due to certain time constraints, as a result of this being a submission requirement in coursework **

Solo Development Responsibilities

  • Developed a cohesive narrative-driven experience, integrating world-building, character interactions, and environmental storytelling to create a compelling lore-focused gameplay loop.

  • Modified and extended Unreal Engine 5 blueprints to support custom gameplay systems, including player–NPC chat, trading mechanics, and AI-driven interaction behaviours.

  • Designed and built the game world, using UE5 level design tools, packaged assets, and bespoke 3D models created specifically to enhance environmental detail and gameplay readability.

  • Conducted structured playtesting sessions, ensuring narrative pacing aligned with gameplay flow. Used player feedback to identify bugs, refine mechanics, and implement new community‑requested features.

  • Produced cinematic cutscenes to reinforce key narrative moments, enhance emotional engagement, and support the overall storytelling arc.

  • Created VFX and lighting setups tailored to each environment, using engine tools to establish mood, guide player attention, and support narrative tone.

  • Packaged and shipped professional-quality builds for public playtests, gathering community insights to improve existing systems and inform future development iterations.

  • Performed structured QA testing across all gameplay systems, identifying defects, documenting reproduction steps, and verifying fixes to maintain build stability throughout development.

Twine Graph depicting Story and NPC interactions during the planning phase of NPC interaction.

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