Hyunseok Jeong Design | Level Design

HYUNSEOK JEONG

Level Designer

Teddy & Co.

First-person puzzle horror game

Project Overview

My Role

Primary Role:

  • Level Designer
    • Designed first level of the game
Also Contributed To:
  • Puzzle Design
  • Tutorial Level Improvements
  • Audio (SFX & Music) 

Engine: Unreal Engine 5

Platform: PC

Team Size: 5

Development Period: Aug 2024 – May 2025

Teddy & Co. is a first-person puzzle horror game set in an abandoned space station. Players play as Jake, a brave worker for a looting company who’s been tasked with exploring abandoned space stations for valuable scrap. Players enter the game under normal pretenses, exploring a space station, until they find themselves suddenly trapped in the space station, hunted by the adorable Teddy & Co. mascot. Players must now survive against the odds while simultaneously working to meet the company’s set Quota, so they can reactivate their spaceship and leave the station.

Design Intents

Controlled Player Progression

  • Locked doors guide the player’s path through the level

  • Keys gate areas to ensure puzzles are encountered in order

  • Maintains a sense of discovery while controlling progression

Locked doors are used to control the player’s path through the level. While the environment presents multiple rooms and interactable elements, most paths are initially inaccessible. By gating areas with keys, the level ensures players encounter information and mechanics in the intended order while still maintaining a sense of discovery.

Puzzle-Based Exploration

  • Puzzles work alongside locked doors to control progression

  • Solving puzzles is required to obtain keys

  • Ensures players engage with each challenge while maintaining a sense of discovery

Puzzles work together with locked doors to control player progression. Players must solve each puzzle to unlock doors and move through the level, ensuring they encounter every challenge in the intended order. This setup keeps a sense of discovery and accomplishment, as progression depends on interacting with the puzzles while following the path set by the locked doors.

Pressure Through Enemy Presence

  • Door command puzzle adds time pressure via enemy, Bruin
  • Players must act quickly under stress to succeed
  • Increases tension during puzzle-solving
The door command puzzle introduces time pressure through the enemy, Bruin. Players must enter a sequence quickly while being chased, creating tension and forcing them to act under stress rather than calmly interacting with the environment.

Map Overview

Floor 1 Layout & Player Flow

Key Locations

1. Start – Entry from tutorial

2. Intersection – Left path locked, right path highlighted

3. Key Room – Keycard obtained

4. Locked Room – Door opened, Bruin chase triggered

5. Puzzle – “Enter the Command” interaction

6. Exit – Access to Floor 2

Floor 1 Flow

Floor 1 follows a T-shaped layout. The player enters from the bottom of the map and moves forward through a corridor until reaching an intersection. At this point, the player is presented with two paths: left and right.
 
The right corridor is slightly brighter, subtly encouraging the player to move in that direction. If the player chooses the left path first, the door is locked, forcing them to explore the right side.
 
In the right room, the player finds a keycard required to unlock the left room. After obtaining the keycard and returning to the intersection, opening the left room triggers the enemy, Bruin, to spawn behind the player and begin chasing them.
 
The player must quickly solve the “enter the command” puzzle to close the door before Bruin catches them. Successfully completing the puzzle unlocks the path to Floor 2.
Floor 2 Layout & Player Flow

Key Locations

1. Start – Elevator arrival

2. Shooting Range – Correct target reveals password

3. Locker – Keycard obtained

4. Access Door – Progression to second area

5. Three Doors – Two locked, one accessible

6. Computer Room – Password discovered

7. Locker – Keycard obtained

8. Storage Room – Key acquired

9. Final Door – Unlocked with key

10. Lounge – Transition to next level

Floor 2 Flow

Floor 2 is divided into two main areas. The player starts in the first area at the elevator entrance. This area features a shooting range and requires a keycard to proceed. To obtain the keycard, the player must interact with the shooting range by identifying and shooting the correct target. Only one of the targets displays a human image, and hitting it reveals a password for a nearby locker.
 
Using this password, the player opens the locker to obtain the keycard and unlock the door, progressing further into the level.
 
In the second area, the player encounters three doors, two of which are locked. This setup directs the player into the only accessible room, where they find multiple computers. One of the computers displays a password that opens another locker containing a keycard.
 
This keycard unlocks one of the previously inaccessible doors leading to a storage room. Inside, the player finds a key for the final locked door. After unlocking it, the player enters the lounge area, which connects to the corridor leading to the next level.

Design & Iteration

Initial Greybox Prototype (Top-Down View)
Initial Greybox Prototype (Top-Down View)
White Box Level 2
White Box Level 3

Initial Greybox Prototype

In this step, I translated the level layout into 3D space, placed puzzles and interactive objects, and tested player flow across two floors. The focus at this stage was to verify player paths, room connections, and object placement within the environment. I then collaborated with the programmer to implement functionality, including puzzles, interactive items, and a modular wall block system. This process enabled testing of progression, puzzle interaction, and overall gameplay flow before further iteration and refinement.
스크린샷 2026-04-11 오전 7.30.44
Final placement improves visibility of Bruin during puzzle interaction

Puzzle Station Relocation

After implementing the Bruin AI and animations, I evaluated how it applied pressure during the door command puzzle. This revealed that the initial placement of the puzzle station on the right side of the door limited player visibility due to the close camera framing. To address this, I relocated the station to the center of the room, allowing players to clearly see Bruin approaching while interacting with the puzzle.

Scope Simplification

The original design for Floor 2 included a boss encounter in the corridor before reaching the lounge door. After this encounter, players would engage in a repair-based puzzle to access the lounge. This puzzle required locating three replacement parts scattered across the computer room and storage area. Two parts and a key to the storage room were found in the computer room, while the final part was located in the storage space. Collecting all parts allowed the player to repair the broken door and proceed.
 
During development, this sequence was simplified due to team constraints. The boss encounter was removed, and the repair-based puzzle was replaced with a keycard progression. These changes reduced implementation complexity while maintaining clear progression and consistent pacing throughout the level.

Design Highlights

Timed Puzzle Under Pressure

  • Enemy pressure interrupts puzzle interaction
  • Timed input requires fast responses
  • Successful input allows progression

Observation Based Puzzle Design

  • Target identification determines puzzle outcome

  • Visual feedback confirms correct actions

  • Player input reveals progression clues

Controlled Progression Through Gating

  • Locked doors restrict player progression
  • Keys unlock new paths
  • Previously blocked paths become accessible

Post Mortem

What Went Well

  • Level layout follows the intended player flow, maintaining clear progression even after design changes
  • Puzzle under pressure supports gameplay tension while introducing the boss in a controlled way
  • Iteration on puzzle placement improved player visibility and overall gameplay clarity
  • Close collaboration with the programmer allowed the development of a modular wall system and the implementation of key gameplay features
  • Communication with the artist ensured puzzle hints and lighting supported gameplay, even with limited visual quality

Challenges & Limitations

  • Team changes reduced the project to a single programmer, requiring the removal of the boss encounter and the simplification of puzzle systems
  • Took over level design responsibilities during development to stabilize workflow and improve level quality
  • Overall visual quality, including lighting and models, was not fully developed due to time and resource constraints
  • Lack of early alignment on asset quality and art direction led to inconsistent visual results
  • Initial level setup and scaling issues required additional adjustments during production to maintain intended proportions

Key Takeaways

  • Understanding team capabilities early helps define a realistic scope and prevents major design cuts later
  • Consistent measurement and scale are critical for efficient level building and collaboration
  • Player visibility and camera framing are essential when designing interactions under pressure
  • Gameplay experience can take priority over realism when it improves clarity and player engagement

Audio Contributions

Door Open

Door Close

Locker Open

Song 1