Ellie Tsamouli
Level | World Designer
ANNIE
Engine: Unreal Engine 5
Status: Prototype
Overview
A Girl Named Annie is a narrative-driven psychological horror experience about a young woman returning to her childhood home, where a mysterious dollhouse reshapes the environment as the story unfolds.
Tasks & Responsibilities
Concept & Pre - Production
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Identified level goals and gameplay intentions for each phase
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Paper design of puzzles and room layouts ( sketches, 2D Maps)
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Greybox proof-of-concept spaces validating puzzle mechanics and spatial relations
Development & Implementation
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Built a modular kit for fast iteration and implementation
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Spline-based tools to add variation to modular layouts.
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Implemented the environmental puzzles
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Interactable placement for gameplay balance and puzzle flow
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Decoration pass and optimization checks (navmesh, lighting, collision)
Design Process & Challenges
A Girl Named Annie is a narrative-driven psychological horror experience about a young woman returning to her childhood home, where a mysterious dollhouse reshapes the environment as the story unfolds.
I joined the project early in development and contributed to core game design, including mechanics, narrative structure, and level layout. During pre-production, I helped prototype the gameplay as a physical board game before moving to the digital prototype.
Because the room-rearrangement mechanic required spaces to follow strict square dimensions, creating spatial variety became a key design challenge. To address this, I built a modular blockout kit and developed spline-based tools that allowed rooms to bend and create more organic layouts while maintaining the system’s constraints.
I then designed and implemented the full house blockout, defining room layouts, player routes, and puzzle spaces. I also supported the final experience through set dressing and lighting to guide player movement and reinforce the game’s atmosphere.
Genre: Mystery, Psychological Horror
Development Time: 2 Months
Title: Level Designer
Concepting Process & Development
Reflection
This project was complex to design, but a lot of fun. It really showed me how important it is to understand core mechanics and gameplay systems before trying to build good levels. Using physical prototypes was incredibly helpful for exploring and communicating ideas early on, even before any digital levels existed. Working within strict technical constraints was challenging and required a lot of quick thinking, but...we designers are hacks after all.
If I were to start the project again, I would explore adding greater elevation variation and develop additional tools to support it. I would also aim to further diversify the rooms and experiment with some alternative structural connections to make their relationships and transitions a bit more engaging.