The Levels: Elements and Inspiration

Each level is open world to an extent, the player will be able to go anywhere at anytime within the 'cube' of the level. All the levels are set a night, although some areas will have lighting so won't be as dark. The player will move to the next level once they have picked up all the collectibles within that level.

Level 1 

Demolished Prison theme
Antagonist: The Tormented (Disfigured creature) 
Elements: 
              Ruined Buildings - There will be a lot of these, some more destroyed than others
              Prison Cells - Some will be broken apart, others with skeletons in them
              Infirmary Tent - Showing experiments were performed
              Concrete Walls topped with Barbed Wire - There is no escape!!
Overall Concept: The idea is to show the antagonist was created within the prison and was a prisoner until he broke out, destroyed everything and killed everyone.
Colour Scheme: Dark and Matte - Greys, Browns, 
Inspiration: This particular level was inspired by the antagonist as I created The Tormented and thought up the level theme from his look and feel. I wanted a character with his mouth sewed shut and lots of chains round his body so from there I thought up a rough 'back-story', I felt a prison really fit this. 

Level 2 

Candy theme
Antagonist: Morigan (Old woman)
Elements: 
              Lollipops / Sweets - Giving off the strong candy theme
              Chocolate - Perhaps a chocolate fountain or river
              Gingerbread House - An inside area to explore
Overall Concept: The elements in the level will be fun and enticing, but the dark undertones will add tension. There will be a few surprises to add fear and throw the player off track.
Colour Scheme: Bright and Pastel - Pink, Orange, Blue
Inspiration: The main inspiration for this level came from Katy Perry's song (featuring Snoop Dog) California Gurls, I love the candy theme, it looks so aesthetically appealing. I want to recreate this but have a horrific twist that really contrasts with the overall 'pretty and delicious' theme.

Level 3 

Forest theme
Antagonist: Ta'loc (Non-Human)
Elements: 
              Sacrificial Burial Grounds - There will be different sacrifices - in type and method
              Tombs - Inside areas that can be explored 
              Alien Artifacts - Statues and otherworldly objects
Overall Concept: At first the forest will look fairly normal but full of alien things that will be creepy, scary but also interesting. The sacrifice areas will be very gruesome and make you wonder what the antagonist is and why it does these things. The antagonist is silent in this level so it'll be even more nerve-racking.
Colour Scheme: Dark and Natural - Green, Brown, Grey
Inspiration: Like the first level this theme was based on the character, which I created before the overall level idea. I really liked the idea of an antagonist that isn't of this world, once I decided I wanted a forest theme and linked it with the Ta'loc character the whole level came together with the alien and otherworldly concept. 

Level 4 

Roman theme
Antagonist: Trajan (Half man/half beast)
Elements: 
              Temples - Some will give inside ares to explore, others will be ruins
              Mythological Statues - Statues that represent known gods, may make my own too
              Pillars - To show pathways, ruined buildings and decorative effect
              Spears / Other Weapons - Near skeletons or as decorations
              Skeletons / bodies - To show there was a battle and that time has past
Overall Concept: The look I am aiming for is an ancient town / city that has stood for hundreds of years but was taken over by the antagonist. I want to also create certain elements from imagination but that are inspired on my research into Romans and mythology.
Colour Scheme: Dark and Strong - Grey, Red, Gold, Orange
Inspiration: This level was, again, loosely based on the antagonist character design. I pictured the creature to have amour pieces similar to the Romans. I love the colour scheme of red and gold, which is heavily used for Romans. The level concept has also drawn inspiration from Essos in Game of Thrones (where Daenerys is based) because I love the colour palette of the location and the overall feel of the environment. I have looked up some temples that I may recreate like the Temple of Faustina and the Pantheon.

Level 5 

Circus theme
Antagonist: Lucy (The young girl)
Elements: 
              Maze - The primary element is a huge circus-themed maze
              Mirrors - Will cover some of the walls of the maze
              Ferris Wheel - Will 'turn on' when player is close, to make them jump/add tension
              Bouncy Castle - Will be gruesome inside
              Clowns - There will be creepy clown imagery throughout the environment
Overall Concept: I want this level to be the most terrifying, it will be full of jumpy parts, gruesome areas and the maze will add the feeling of being lost. When the Ferris wheel turns on it will be loud and bright, which will alert the antagonist.
Colour Scheme: Bright and Basic - Red, Yellow, Blue
Inspiration: This was the last level to be decided as I was torn between a circus theme and a hospital theme. I knew both would be scary but I decided to go with the circus concept because I could see it as being more creepy. I am one of the many people who are scared of clowns so I know that this will add to the fear factor within the game. I didn't want to have a clown as the antagonist because I feel the player would expect that.

Thanks for reading. X

Game Research: Antagonists

Researched Antagonists for Inspiration

The Joker

He is an iconic character in the Batman franchise, his personality, look and laugh are very memorable. He is the perfect villain because he doesn't have a hidden agenda for money or power he just wants to see the world burn. The Joker's visual appearance has a really creepy element, the over-the-top make-up and facial scarring really match his crazy personality.

https://tangynt.wordpress.com/tag/the-joker/

Lord Voldemort

This villain is a great example of a non human character, he use to be human but he divided his soul to become immortal so now he is another being entirely. He is evil and powerful with a full-on back story that all Harry Potter fans will know. Voldemort has certain human-like features like the shape of his head and the position of his eyes and mouth. He also has snake-like features like his nose and the slightly scaled affect on his skin. 

http://dumbledoresarmyroleplay.wikia.com/wiki/File:Voldemort.jpeg

Professor Umbridge

She is probably more hated than Lord Voldemort in the Harry Potter franchise, due to her personality, overly harsh punishments and sickly sweet voice and look. Umbridge's visual appearance may be deceiving, she looks like an older aunt with her well groomed grey hair, knitted pink clothes and heavy pink lip-stick yet her posture and movements suggest her darker personality.

http://harrypotter.wikia.com/wiki/File:Dolores_Umbridge_(Promo_still_from_HP5_movie)_10-15-2009.jpg

Slenderman

He has such a simple character design yet he is really scary in the Slender Games. The fact he doesn't have a face is rather chilling, he doesn't have eyes yet you feel he is staring at you. Sometimes simplicity really does pay off.










http://camusaltamirano.deviantart.com/art/Slenderman-353586833

Clickers (The Last of Us)

When playing The Last of Us the most terrifying monster you come across are the Clickers. You will hear them before you see them, the noise they make is just as scary. On top of this they are really hard to kill. As you can see from the image these characters are very disfigured but were clearly once human.
This video shows you how scary the noise they make is, especially when you're in a dark environment.







http://www.psu.com/a018184/Meet-the-Clickers-and-Runners-two-Infected-in-The-Last-of-Us

King Joffrey

Even though this character isn't visually scary, he has a very sadistic and malicious personality. Anyone who has watched Game of Thrones or read the books will hate this character a great deal. King Joffrey's acts of aggression aren't usually provoked he just enjoys causing pain, which makes him even more evil.









http://de.gameofthrones.wikia.com/wiki/Datei:Joffrey.jpg

My Antagonist ideas

I will create 5 antagonists, one for each level of the game. 

All the villains I have researched are memorable in their own way, I hope to design unique characters that have the same impact.

Here are some traits that I have been thinking of including: - Sweet looking, scarring, dominating, half animal and an alien type creature. I will keep coming up with more ideas, I am in the creative thinking and note taking phase at the moment.

I want my characters to have personal voices or noises that the player will associate with them, when the antagonist is getting closer to the player this noise will get louder, to add intensity.

Thanks for reading...I'm off to look at graphic tablets. X

Disclaimer - I don't own any of the images in this post.