Владислав

Vladyslav Yuzhanin
Level Designer | Unreal Engine | Gameplay-Focused 3D Environments
Falmouth, United Kingdom
Email: [відкрити контакти](див. вище в блоці «контактна інформація») LinkedIn link: [відкрити контакти](див. вище в блоці «контактна інформація»)
Portfolio: https://sites.google.com/view/prostovlad95portfolio

🔹 Professional Summary
Level Designer with hands-on experience building 3D levels from greybox to final layout using modular assets. Skilled in spatial composition, encounter design, and gameplay flow using Unreal Engine, Unity, and studio-level tools. Comfortable collaborating in cross-disciplinary teams with artists, programmers, and writers. Passionate about creating readable, engaging environments that support both narrative and gameplay systems.

🎮 Game Development Experience

Overlord: Raising Hell Remastered
Collaborative project | Unreal Engine 5 | Oct 2025 – Present

• Reworking and modernizing legacy action-RPG level layouts, focusing on player flow, navigation clarity, and combat readability.

• Designing levels from early greybox through iterative playable passes, defining traversal routes, combat spaces, and exploration beats.

• Building modular environments and continuously iterating on spatial composition to support pacing, visibility, and encounter readability.

• Planning and refining combat encounters, adjusting layouts, enemy positioning, and safe traversal paths based on playtesting.

• Implementing level logic, interactions, and gameplay triggers using Unreal Engine Blueprints.

• Tuning scale, proportions, and sightlines to maintain a consistent gameplay feel for third-person action combat.

• Collaborating with designers, programmers and artists, incorporating feedback through regular iteration and playtest reviews.

Smoke Runner (FPS)
Team project | Unreal Engine | Sept 2024 – May 2025
• Designed combat arenas and traversal routes for a fast-paced FPS, focusing on pacing, readability, and player flow.

• Blocked out and iterated on levels using modular tools, refining layouts based on playtesting and gameplay feedback.

• Planned and balanced enemy placement, cover distribution, and combat spaces to support multiple engagement styles.

• Implemented and adjusted level logic and interactions in Unreal Engine to support core gameplay mechanics.

• Collaborated closely with programmers and artists to align level flow, mechanics, and visual composition.

• Contributed to delivering the project with a small development team, successfully showcasing the game at the Falmouth University Game Expo.

• Helped prepare and release the playable build on itch.io, presenting the project to a public audience and gathering player feedback.

Soulslike
Solo project | Unreal Engine | Mar 2025 – Apr 2025

• Designed a combat-driven greybox level based on Soulslike design principles, focusing on spatial tension, risk–reward positioning, and deliberate pacing.

• Structured enemy placement, choke points, and combat spaces to create pressure through layout rather than checkpoints or scripted resets.

• Shaped exploration flow using sightlines, landmarks, verticality, and gated paths to naturally guide player movement.

• Iterated on layout through repeated playtesting, refining combat readability, spacing, and encounter clarity.

• Documented design decisions using annotated maps and written breakdowns, explaining layout intent and gameplay reasoning.

Divinity 2 Custom Level
Solo project | Divinity Engine | Jan 2024 – May 2024

• Rapidly onboarded into the Divinity: Original Sin 2 studio toolset, learning and applying engine-specific workflows within a limited timeframe.

• Designed and built a fully playable custom level using a studio-grade RPG engine and editor.

• Implemented branching dialogue, encounter zones, and quest-driven spatial layouts using isual scripting systems.

• Maintained a structured design journal and documentation, tracking decisions, experiments, and iteration outcomes throughout development.

• Focused on player agency, environmental storytelling, and quest logic, iterating based on gameplay testing and self-review.

Devil’s Architect
Team project | Unity | Sept 2023 – May 2024

• Designed puzzle-driven dungeon environments with a focus on narrative pacing, exploration, and player-driven progression.

• Structured level flow across interconnected rooms, balancing dungeon growth, spatial pressure, and gated progression.

• Worked on dungeon layout and progression in a card-based building system, ensuring player choices meaningfully affected space and encounters.

• Collaborated closely with writers and programmers to integrate interactive choices, narrative feedback, and gameplay responses.

• Participated in playtesting and iteration, refining player guidance, lighting, puzzle readability, and overall pacing.

• Contributed to delivering a public playable build, released on itch.io.

• Took part in preparing and presenting a project pitch to potential investors, communicating design intent and project vision.

🔧 Tools & Skills

Engines: Scripting / Visual Scripting:
Unreal Engine – 4 years Unreal Engine Blueprints – 4 years
Unity – 5 years Unity C# – 5 years;
CryEngine – 2 years Unity Fungus – 2 years
Godot – 1 year
Divinity: Original Sin 2 Engine – 6 months

Tools:
Git, Maya & Blender ( for basic prototyping and blockout support), Trello, Confluence, Photoshop, Excel, Adobe Substance 3D Painter, Adobe Premier Pro, Adobe Audition, FL Studio.

Level Design Focus:
Greyboxing and blockout workflows, gameplay pacing, encounter design, spatial layout, player navigation, and environment readability.

Fun fact about me:
I’ve been a Night Manager responsible for a full hotel, and a Restaurant General Manager – moving into game development was the best decision I’ve made so far.

🤝 Working Style & Collaboration
• Experience collaborating in multicultural, multidisciplinary teams across multi-month development cycles.
• Comfortable working with iterative feedback loops, documentation, and version control.
• Able to clearly communicate, justify, and refine design decisions through playtesting and reviews.

📅 Education
BA (Hons) Game Development: Design
Falmouth University, United Kingdom
🌐 Languages
English (fluent), Ukrainian (native), Polish (intermediate).