A full single-player survival horror game built solo in Unreal Engine — from concept to playable build, including AI systems, level design, sound design, and environmental storytelling.
Project: Fear is a complete survival horror experience developed entirely solo. Every system — AI, inventory, puzzles, audio, level design — was designed and built from scratch. The goal was to create a game that generates genuine psychological tension through systems design rather than cheap jump scares.
Engineered complex AI behavior using Unreal's navmesh pathfinding with custom sight and sound perception. The enemy operates on a state machine with patrol, alert, investigate, chase, and search states. Full-body Inverse Kinematics provides procedural creature animations that adapt to environment geometry — the enemy moves differently on stairs, through doorways, and across uneven terrain.
Produced complete audio design using Unreal's MetaSounds system. Implemented 3D spatial audio with distance-based attenuation and wall occlusion — you can hear the enemy through walls, but it sounds muffled. Ambient soundscapes, creature vocalizations, and a dynamic music system that responds to the enemy's proximity all contribute to the psychological tension.
Designed multiple interconnected levels with environmental storytelling — the world communicates narrative through objects, lighting, and layout without relying on cutscenes or text.
The AI was the hardest system to get right. A horror game enemy needs to feel threatening without being unfair — it must be smart enough to create genuine dread but exploitable enough for the player to survive. Tuning the perception radii, state transition timings, and search behavior took extensive playtesting.
An ongoing personal project that has become a comprehensive showcase of Unreal Engine development — covering AI programming, gameplay systems, procedural animation, 3D audio design, and level design in a single cohesive experience.
Key takeaway: What's the most important thing to know about this project?