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Creating levels that supports the gameplay pillars
and elevates the player experience.

- Exploration - Rewards - Progression -
Affordance & Game Theory 

Projets

PROJECTS

Third Person ActionPlatformer ---  Level Design

FreeRoam Design - Exponential Difficulty

Isometric ActionRoguelike Stealth Raid Game ---  SPRING JAM 2026

Level Design Tutorialisation, Cinematics and Blueprints Systems

Third Person Action Platformer -- Collaborative project

Level Design Tools, Cinematics, Niagara and Sound effects

DEMO REEL

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OPEN WORLD LEVEL DESIGN

''Desiging worlds that tell stories through exploration''
Using landmarks and affordance-driven design to intuitively guide players toward their objectives.

 

Fonctionnalités

FEATURES

01

Micro/Meso/Macro Landmarks

Crafting navigation that feels intuitive, memorable, and visually distictive

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02

Affordance Techniques

Leveraging lighting and environmental affordances to naturally direct player navigation.

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03

Multi-Level Dungeons

Building gameplay-ready traversal environments with layered exploration opportunities.

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04

LDD & Documentation

Managing references, documentation, and design iterations using Confluence, Jira, and PureRef.

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LEVEL DESIGN TECHNIQUES

Applying level design principles and affordance techniques to create engaging, player-driven environments.

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FEATURES

05

Planification and Blockouts

Designing outside the Engine and improving the blockout inside the Engine.

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06

Golden Path

Designing critical paths and optional routes, using environmental affordances to naturally communicate progression.

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07

Rewards & Player Progression

Balancing gameplay pacing and player rewards to create a satisfying sense of progression.

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08

Verticality

Designing traversal spaces that seamlessly support exploration, navigation, and combat encounters.

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09

Attractive Openings

Guiding players intuitively off or along the critical path while encouraging meaningful exploration beyond it.

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10

Denial and Reward

Using occlusion and staged reveals to reintroduce familiar elements from new perspective, creating stronger spatial awareness and memorable moments

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11

Encounter Design

Foreshadowing upcoming encounters through environmental design, allowing players to anticipate and prepare

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12

Level Sequences and Boss Encounters

Integrating cinematic moments seamlessly into gameplay to build tension, pacing, and emotional payoff.

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13

Multiple paths

Adaptding the level to all possibilities offered by the gameplay.

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Uplifting the Pillars - no matter the genre

ABOUT ME

Holding a Bachelor's degree in Film Studies and a diploma in Visual Arts, Alex Da Cunha brings a multidisciplinary approach to game development. His background in filmmaking, cinematography, music composition, and visual storytelling complements his recent specialization in Game and Level Design at the École du Jeux Vidéo de Montréal (EJVM). This unique combination enables him to design immersive worlds where gameplay, narrative, and environmental storytelling work together seamlessly.

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CONTACT

© 2027 Alex da Cunha

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