/The Observatory
Senior Level Designer — The same space, two opposite ends of the story. Designed to be played twice.
The Observatory appears twice in the game; first as the player's introduction to Garrett and the driving force of the plot, and again as the penultimate level when the villain has fully claimed it as his fortress. The design challenge wasn't building two levels. It was making one space feel completely different depending on where the player is in the story.
/Building the Space
The Observatory was always designed to feel isolated; set into cliffs rather than city streets, giving it a distinct character from every other level. Early blockout focused on establishing that sense of exposure and height, working with the cliff geometry to make the location feel earned before the player even enters the building. From there I worked closely with the art team to refine the footprint, balancing the scale of the space against what was buildable within the project's constraints at that stage of production.
/Two Missions, One Layout
The layout doesn't change between visits. What changes is everything around it.
First visit: an open, inviting approach. Low stakes, low security
Return visit: the approach itself becomes an obstacle. The player's narrative low point is felt before they've entered the building
The first visit is the player's first real mission after the tutorial. The big bad is only beginning to move in, security is light, guards are forgiving, and the space feels open and explorable. The mood is sneaky and mysterious; low stakes by design, giving the player room to find their feet
By the return visit, the city is in riots and a blood moon eclipse is underway. The Observatory has been transformed into a fortress. Sweeping dynamic lights carve up the shadow spots the player relied on before. Fences block familiar paths. Crates and obstacles force exposure at moments that previously felt safe. Heavier guard types, ones that can't be knocked out, are now stationed throughout, with tighter, more aggressive patrol patterns. The freedom of the first visit is gone. Every decision the player makes now carries real risk.
The placement of obstacles, fencing, and dressing on the return visit was my direction, developed in close collaboration with art given their limited budget at that point in production. We worked through what could be created new versus what could be reused and repositioned to achieve the same effect. Guard positions, patrol paths, and movements were my responsibility throughout; planned, implemented, and iterated on in response to playtesting and updates from the systems team as guard behaviours were refined.
No areas are locked off between visits. Every location accessible in the first mission can still be reached on the return. What changes is how you get there, the routes that once felt natural now require the player to put themselves in genuinely dangerous situations. It's a test of everything the game has taught them.
/Final Shots
