Blog Post 6: Building the Outer Maze Walls and Entry Zone
With the Maze Escape concept firmly established, I shifted my attention to designing the player’s first encounter: the monumental outer walls. The goal was to create an overwhelming sense of scale, establishing the maze’s intimidating presence right from the beginning.
Using Unreal Engine, I blocked out a grand entry plaza leading up to the maze gates. Wide stone paths, broken statues, and towering walls contributed to the feeling that players were stepping into something ancient and mysterious. I kept the early composition symmetrical, ensuring a sense of grandeur and navigability at the same time.
To enhance the visual storytelling, I designed a simple environmental puzzle near the gates. Players would need to interact with scattered ruins and align certain stones correctly to unlock the maze entrance. This approach allowed us to introduce gameplay mechanics naturally, immersing players without relying on heavy tutorials.
The blockout stage went smoothly here, and seeing the colossal walls come to life in VR truly made the environment feel alive. However, this was only the beginning; the real challenge lay inside the maze, where tension and exploration would need to sustain the player’s attention.