Harbourside - The Last of Us Level
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yCqBd3UbJio
Aim
This is a standalone level aiming to last around 30 minutes. It is assumed that the player is familiar with the mechanics of The Last of Us 2. It features a mixture of exploration and combat with an increasing curve of intensity, before ending with a simple but powerful moment of player choice – something that I think has been underutilized in the games.
This is a high-level pitch with an accompanying blockout playthrough to be viewed together – if going into production, a more detailed Level Design Document would be produced.
Background Story
The story follows Sarah, a university student trapped in Bristol, just over one year after breakout day during mid-winter. Her parents have managed to get word to her that they are still alive and waiting in a safe zone, 3 miles upriver, just outside the city. They instruct her to find a boat and head up river, beneath the suspension Bridge. The player joins Sarah partway into her journey as she searches for a boat in the shadow of the Bridge.
Locations
This is an interpretation of the Bristol Dock area. A mixture of real-life locations/landmarks with a fictional layout to suit the gameplay. For example, the Suspension Bridge, Mud Dock, Pero’s Bridge and Waterfront are all real areas within the Bristol Docks – positioned in vaguely the correct positions but not perfect to real life.
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Level Walkthrough
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Sarah starts by searching for a Boat through a section of town, it is a mix of nice coffee shops and old working warehouses. The Suspension Bridge looms in the distance as a reminder of the objective.
(A) She comes across a boat hanging from the side of a building called the Mud Dock. This is inhabited by a man called Gordon, who is being confronted by a gang, which triggers a fire fight.
In helping Gordon overcome the gang, Sarah gains some trust from him. He explains that when his partner was injured, he fled the gang and bunkered himself in the Mud Dock. Sarah explains that she is just passing through and trying to find a boat to head up river.
Gordon has run out of medical supplies for his partner and offers Sarah a deal - there is a medical parachute drop on top of a nearby building, which he believes has remained untouched. If she helps him retrieve the supplies, then he’ll give her the boat. Sarah agrees.
The pair head into the Waterfront area, where they see the large, brightly coloured parachute of the medical supply drop on top of a club called the Oceana, on the other side of the water. They need to make their way round in a horse shoe shape to reach it, as the direct bridge is damaged.
They then head through a building (unfinished section) focusing on using partner mechanics to build the bond between the characters, before coming out the other side into an area that used to be a food bank (B). As they head through, local militia are sweeping the area. This is a stealth combat section, with the player in a position of power to manoeuvre themselves around the enemies.
Once cleared, the pair can head to Oceana (C), accessing it via the camping shop, next door. Inside there are signs of infected. Rooftop access is blocked by an electric door. They puzzle to reconnect the power, in doing so they activate a music system, blasting out some tunes– attracting the horde. The door jams and as Gordon uses a crowbar to open it up, Sarah holds off the incoming infected. Eventually they are able to pass through the door and access the roof top which they barricade.
After taking the medical supplies (D), the pair abseil off the roof of the club, looking into the club as the infected scramble all over each other to get through to the roof access. As infected break through the door, Sarah is dropped several meters to the ground. Gordon helps her to her feet and the pair embark on a dramatic chase across the damaged Bridge, back to the Mud Dock (E). Here they are safe, and Gordon tends to his partner. Sarah then has choice of leaving Gordon be and taking the boat, or betraying Gordon to gain access to his supply stash, which he refuses Sarah access to. IF Sarah really want to gain the key to the stash, she must take it off Gordon's body…