03. AN EGYPTIAN ESCAPE
September 2025
- Genre: adventure puzzle game (narrative-driven).
- Type: Level Blockout
- Engine: Unreal Engine 5
- Tools: Unreal Engine Blueprints
- Role: Level Designer, Programmer, Narrative Designer
- Development Time: 1 course week
- Controls: WASD to move, mouse to control camera, C to Crouch, Shift to Sprint, Space Bar to jump, E to Interact with objects and items.
An Egyptian Escape is the final assignment for the Blueprint Scripting module part of the Epic Games Game Design official certificate. The requirements for this assignment were to create a Game Design Document, a playable prototype and the final game, and additional documentation such as technical documentation and a user’s manual.
The goal of this assinment was to put into practice everything learned during the Blueprint Scripting module that is part of the Epic Games Design official course: functions, variables, event dispatchers, infinite loops, timers, trace channels, crouching mechanic, inventory and picking up items, enums, widgets and placing items triggers.
In An Egyptian Escape, players step into the role of an archaeologist on a once-in-a-lifetime expedition. Deep in the desert, they uncover the ruins of a forgotten temple said to guard treasures lost to history. Among the shifting sands and ancient corridors lies the ultimate discovery: the sarcophagus of a mysterious female Pharaoh. Blending exploration, puzzle-solving, and a sense of wonder, the game invites players to unravel the secrets of Egypt’s past in an atmospheric and thrilling adventure.
Hihglights
An Egyptian Escape focuses on accessible mechanics that allow players of all levels to engage with its world through traversal, platforming, and puzzle solving rather than combat.
Simple and intuitive controls make actions like jumping across crumbling platforms, climbing narrow ledges, or activating hidden mechanisms easy to grasp yet satisfying to master.
Players progress by observing their surroundings, experimenting with levers, buttons, and doors, and carefully timing their movements to overcome environmental obstacles.
The theme is instantly recognizable, drawing on the timeless imagery of Ancient Egypt. From sweeping desert landscapes to the shadowed corridors of forgotten temples, the setting taps into a world that players have seen in countless games and films, making it both familiar and inviting.
The game connects to a shared cultural imagination of Egypt as a place of secrets and discovery.
This recognizability helps immerse players right away, while the story of the lost female Pharaoh introduces a unique twist that keeps the experience fresh and intriguing.
Puzzles in An Egyptian Escape are designed to blend seamlessly with the environment, turning the temple itself into a living mechanism.
Doors locked, pressure buttons, and levers invite players to observe carefully and interact with their surroundings. These challenges are not just obstacles but moments of discovery, reinforcing the sense of mystery and immersion as players progress deeper into the ruins.
By combining classic mechanics such as buttons, switches, and lever-based sequences with the visual language of Ancient Egypt, the puzzles feel intuitive and thematically consistent.
Gameplay Overview and Design Techniques
The foundation was an Inventory System combined with puzzle interactions, allowing the player to collect specific items and use them to unlock progress within the level. I learned how to integrate Enumerations, Data Assets, and Widget Blueprints into a cohesive workflow that linked interactive objects with player actions.
The final system connected a Trigger Blueprint (used for triggers, doors, and levers) with a PickUp Blueprint (representing the trigger items). This allowed me to design puzzles where picking up an artifact could activate a mechanism, open a hidden door, or reveal a secret passage.
The geometry of structures like Pyramids and Columns creates clear visual cues, helping players orient themselves and intuitively understand where to go next. Long corridors framed by rows of columns or the sharp silhouette of a pyramid on the horizon serve as focal points that draw the eye and subtly encourage movement in a desired direction.
This approach reinforces both gameplay clarity and thematic immersion. The landmarks are not only functional for player guidance but also deeply tied to the Egyptian setting, enhancing the sense of scale and authenticity.
Pre-Production
I began this assignment by exploring and brainstorming gameplay themes and directions. After considering a few different options, I choose the well-known Ancient Egypt theme because it suits pretty well the puzzle solving and the adventuring component intended for this level.
- Early Concept: I started working on the documentation with a brief summary of the level (theme, character, synopsis) as well as a Level Plan for the three main areas requested for this assignment. In each area players have to
with a clear direction on mind, I started to work on the documentation with a brief summary of the level and defining the game pillars, game mechanics, main references for the gameplay and aesthetic, and the key locations of the level. I was pretty sure that I wanted to incorporate a mission journal or mission log system to display the chores for the main character. So, in this ideation phase and early concepts I started to brainstorm the different missions that were divided into Main Quests (Grandma's chores) and the Side Quests (given by people in the village and other hidden achievements like interacting with dogs and cats).
- Reference Gathering: the main inspirations for this level have been Pharaoh: A new Era (2023, video game), Thomb Raider I-III Remastered (2024, video game) and The Mummy (1999, movie) from which I took inspiration regarding aesthethic and atmospehre (Pharaoh: A New Era and The Mummy) and gameplay/level design (the egyptian themed-based levels in Thomb Raider).
- Map: for An Egyptian Adventure I wanted to do a simple map featuring three different areas and three types of puzzles. Each area offers players different types of terrains and challenges: platforming, traverse and puzzle solving. Along the level, players can find Landmarks (pyramids) that serve as a visual compass to orient themselves in the level and towards the main goal.
- Narrative: In An Egyptian Escape, the story follows an archaeologist who uncovers the ruins of a long-lost temple buried deep in the desert sands. Within its crumbling walls lie treasures never seen before, guarded by mystery and legend. At the heart of this forgotten place rests the sarcophagus of a powerful and enigmatic female Pharaoh, waiting to be discovered after centuries of silence.
- Character: for this levels, I did a added some code to the Blueprint Scripting of the First Person Blueprints for Sprinting, Crouching, Tracing (items) and Interacting (with items).
- Puzzle Design: the main goal of the assignment was to create an Inventory System combined with Puzzles in Unreal Engine 5. To do so, I followed the teacher’s tutorial based in Enumerations, Data Assets, Blueprints and Widget Blueprints to put up together a system where a Trigger Blueprint (triggers, doors and levers) is combined with a PickUp Blueprint (Trigger Item).
- Goals and Restrictions: the main goal of the level was to create an interesting space to traverse that feels interesting and challenging in terms of platforming, traversing and puzzle solving. In order to help players with their navigation, the level also aims to fill the space with Landmarks and POIs (Points of Interest) to identify directions and goals towards the end of the level.
Level Blockout
From the start, I focused on maintaining thematic coherence with the narrative. The blockout was shaped around the recognizable aesthetic of an Egyptian temple. Landmarks such as statues, doorways, and distinctive architectural features were strategically placed to support visual composition and guide the player naturally through the environment.
Finally, I incorporated the interactive system built with Unreal Engine Blueprints. By connecting Trigger Blueprints (doors, levers, buttons) with PickUp Blueprints.Even in its early stage, the level already offered functional interactions, allowing me to test player progression, experiment with puzzle logic, and refine the overall gameplay loop before moving into more detailed art passes.
Conclusions and Learnings
- Strengthened my knowledge of Blueprints in Unreal Engine 5 by creating interactive systems (triggers, pick-ups, doors, and levers) and learning how to combine modular scripts for puzzle design.
- Improved my skills in level blockout modeling, focusing on layout, scale, and spatial composition to ensure clarity, readability, and engaging traversal before moving into detailed art passes.
- Gained hands-on experience in testing and iteration, identifying issues early through playtesting and refining mechanics, pacing, and player guidance to improve the overall gameplay flow.
- Some physical barriers and constraints for the player movement don't feel realistic or natural and you can clearly see that it's intended by design.
- Due to the lack of time, some areas of the Egyptian ruins are less polished than others and they could have more details to be in line with the rest of the style. There are a few areas that may feel a bit boring and too long to traverse.
- Lack of variety in the puzzles
due to the limited time available for prototyping and development.
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The process not only gave me practical experience with Unreal Engine’s scripting logic but also demonstrated how modular Blueprints can be reused and combined to create dynamic puzzle-solving experiences.
- I gained a lot of knowledge and experience in Unreal Engine Blueprints.
- I learned the value of having a clear and established visual language, specially during the first phases of the blockout.
If I could start over and do something different with more time, I would probably scale up the level, maybe adding more mechanics available to the player (such as collecting coins or treasures)