Level Design, Lighting, VFX, Shaders
Beached
Duration
5 Weeks
Tools
Beached is a water-based souls boss arena built around traversal, environmental hazards, and clear visual routing. Lighting and landmarking reinforce story moments and guide players to a rewarding finale.
What is this?
What is this?
A little Brief
Beached is a Souls-inspired boss arena set along a quiet shoreline. The idea was to create a space that looks peaceful at first, but actually hides a big challenge beneath its calm surface. Players move across rock formations and shallow waters while watching out for environmental hazards that can shift the tide of the encounter.
A lot of the atmosphere comes from the technical artwork behind the scenes. The grass moves with the wind, the ocean reacts to the cliffs and shoreline, and small glowing particles hover around like curious moths. All these little details are there to make the world feel naturally alive and responsive.
Lighting plays a big role, too. Warm highlights and natural contrast help guide players toward important areas, acting almost like visual signposts. Instead of pointing an arrow on screen, the environment itself helps lead the player where they need to go.
Layout
The arena is designed to immediately signal a sense of grandeur and danger, with a towering eagle statue and a sealed gate welcoming players into a sacred battleground. A peaceful fountain space creates a calm, oasis-like contrast that heightens the tension before the encounter begins. The layout remains open-ended, allowing players to choose paths, reposition, and strategize. Breakable pillars provide temporary cover, making the space itself a dynamic part of the fight.
Shaders
I created a dynamic environment system using Shader Graph, where grass reacts to wind with subtle motion that makes the landscape feel alive. I also developed a custom ocean shader with terrain-aware foam that forms naturally at cliff and shoreline edges, enhancing both realism and environmental readability within the playable space.
