The Art Of Level Design
Official Xbox Magazine|July 2019

We speak to the minds behind your favourite games to find out more about the challenges and secrets of incredible level design

Stephen Ashby
The Art Of Level Design

The fiendish puzzles. The waist-high blocks that protect you in a firefight. The platforms you stand on as you survey the path ahead of you. While you’re solving them, using them as a cover or leaping across them in a game, you probably don’t stop to think about how these elements got right there, in that perfect spot. They make you feel like a hero. They make you feel like you absolutely nailed what you were doing. And they all came out of a level designer’s mind.

Whatever your favorite level of all time is, these genius game developers built it. But how do they come up with these excellent creations that we relive, over and over, for days, months or even decades after we’ve finished a game? What are the toughest parts of making a really great level? And how do you account for us pesky gamers, who are unpredictable, easily confused or just want to break the heck out of a beautifully designed stage? We spoke to the level designers behind some of this generation’s most unique games to find out.

Going solo

“As a human being, you feel much more about your environment than you know,” explains Arne Oehme, Eidos Montreal’s lead level designer on Shadow Of The Tomb Raider. “You understand if architecture makes sense; even if you’re not an architect you’ll know if something doesn’t work.”

Level-building is a fine art and one that isn’t as simple as putting platforms in reachable locations – although that is, of course, pretty damn important. It’s about anticipating player behavior, subtly pushing them in the right direction and creating a path that’s easy to follow while still offering a challenge: not the easiest of tasks.

This story is from the July 2019 edition of Official Xbox Magazine.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the July 2019 edition of Official Xbox Magazine.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM OFFICIAL XBOX MAGAZINEView All
Why I love... Roaming the post-apocalypse
Official Xbox Magazine

Why I love... Roaming the post-apocalypse

How modern releases are continuing to find creativity and beauty within gaming’s most prevalent setting: the end of the world

time-read
3 mins  |
March 2020
10 Best Multiplayer Games
Official Xbox Magazine

10 Best Multiplayer Games

From shooters to kitchen chaos, these titles are best played with friends

time-read
6 mins  |
April 2020
Revved up and ready to go
Official Xbox Magazine

Revved up and ready to go

EA hands the wheel of Need For Speed back over to Criterion Games

time-read
2 mins  |
April 2020
The Elder Scrolls Online: Greymoor
Official Xbox Magazine

The Elder Scrolls Online: Greymoor

Return to Tamriel’s frigid North this summer Chris Burke

time-read
3 mins  |
April 2020
Remothered: Broken Porcelain
Official Xbox Magazine

Remothered: Broken Porcelain

We’re going potty for this cult classic survival horror sequel

time-read
2 mins  |
April 2020
Yakuza 0 Yakuza Kiwami Yakuza Kiwami 2
Official Xbox Magazine

Yakuza 0 Yakuza Kiwami Yakuza Kiwami 2

Triple trouble: Sega’s crime drama trio brings glorious thug‑thumping action to Xbox

time-read
3 mins  |
April 2020
Mosaic
Official Xbox Magazine

Mosaic

ALL AROUND ME ARE FAMILIAR OFFICE SPACES

time-read
4 mins  |
April 2020
The Falconeer
Official Xbox Magazine

The Falconeer

Savouring the joys of flight with an indie that’s living on a (gigantic) wing and a prayer

time-read
2 mins  |
April 2020
10 Best Examples Of Great Architecture On Xbox
Official Xbox Magazine

10 Best Examples Of Great Architecture On Xbox

Games are crammed full of gorgeously crafted designs and architecture. From gables to gargoyles, we look at the best building designs on Xbox One

time-read
5 mins  |
March 2020
THE PROMISED 'LANDS
Official Xbox Magazine

THE PROMISED 'LANDS

With so many great games competing for our time, how do you keep gamers locking and loading? Gearbox’s looter-shooter, Borderlands 3, knows how…

time-read
6 mins  |
March 2020