CHARLIE HA

Gate of the Bloodmoon Castle

castleThumbnail

Project type:

Castle Level Design in Unreal Engine.

Project description:

There are two goals with this project: First, to familiarize myself with a common practice in contemporary game design and development: "Kit-bashing." And second, to create a portfolio-worthy 30 second fly-through of a tiny medieval fantasy scene of my own creation

For this project, I was provided with a collection of kitbash-ready components designed for a fantasy medieval castle and village. My objective was to design and assemble a visually compelling landscape featuring a small castle, surrounding village elements, and produce a cinematic, portfolio-worthy flythrough—all presented in a single seamless take.

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I began by analyzing the kitbash asset map to understand the full range of modular pieces available. To establish a strong visual direction, I researched architectural references and fantasy environments on Pinterest. With a clear vision in mind, I created a whitebox layout to block out the spatial composition of the castle and surrounding structures.

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The final flythrough opens at the castle entrance, flanked by two illuminated giant stone lions. A foggy atmosphere partially obscures the background, while a half-moon—partially hidden behind the towering entrance—builds anticipation for the viewer. As the camera slowly moves forward, the massive doors open, revealing a path lined with stone horse statues. I placed a mannequin beside the statues to convey a clear sense of scale.

The pathway leads to a towering structure crowned with a goddess statue, with a full blood moon dramatically rising in the background. The flythrough concludes with a vertical ascent, the fog lifting to reveal the entire castle from a top-down perspective, capturing the full grandeur of the scene.

Date:

March 17 - April 6, 2025

Role:

Level Designer.

Project highlight:

Fly through:

Please choose 1080p for highest quality.

Reference and Concept board:

Castle Concept board

Reflection:

This project showcased my ability to work effectively with modular assets to design a cohesive and immersive environment. It allowed me to explore atmospheric storytelling through thoughtful composition, lighting, and cinematic camera work.

One of the key challenges was guiding the viewer’s eye through the scene—requiring careful consideration of object placement, visual hierarchy, and environmental storytelling. I leveraged lighting and fog not only to create depth and mood but also to enhance narrative pacing and build anticipation as the camera moves through the space.

Overall, this project deepened my understanding of visual storytelling in 3D environments and strengthened my skills in scene assembly, mood creation, and real-time presentation.