Project Echo is a first-person spatial puzzle game set inside a massive alien tunnel — a rotating, cylindrical structure where players manipulate gravity to solve traversal challenges. You play as Josie, an explorer who discovers an ancient artifact that lets her lock onto surfaces and rotate the tunnel in real-time.
Inspired by games like Astro Bot, Project Echo takes full advantage of the PlayStation 5 DualSense controller to deliver immersive gameplay through gyro aiming, adaptive triggers, and rich haptic feedback.
Built in Tengine, our in-house engine, Project Echo was created in 6 weeks by a team of 13 students at PlaygroundSquad. I served as Level & Gameplay Designer, focusing on core mechanics, spatial puzzle design, controller feedback systems, and tutorial planning.
Despite the tight timeline and a custom engine, we delivered a polished experience with innovative rotation-based mechanics and a surreal alien atmosphere we’re proud of.
Level design
It all started with the question:
What if the level itself was the puzzle?I didn’t want to just place obstacles inside a cool space, I wanted to create a space the player had to understand, manipulate, and rotate to progress.
That was the seed of the idea. I started brainstorming with architectural concepts like the Panopticon, but quickly shifted gears after remembering Vah Naboris, the rotating divine beast from Breath of the Wild. I loved how the entire structure rotated to shift the level layout itself and wanted to push that further.From there, I began sketching ideas for cylindrical tunnels with shifting paths that could connect and disconnect based on rotation. I also pulled visual inspiration from Escher’s “Relativity” and the surreal hallways of Harry Potter.
To test the idea, I built a quick Unreal Engine prototype where you could rotate the tunnel you were looking at using the mouse wheel. This helped me answer important design questions:This prototype became a core part of my pitch to the team. It let me show how the rotation felt in real time, and how puzzles could form through platform alignment, gravity shifts, and spatial memory.
After pitching and validating the prototype, I moved on to designing a full experience across six main puzzle rooms. Each section introduced new mechanics, spatial twists, or visual shifts that built on the player’s existing understanding.Due to time limits, our teammate Ami helped design short tutorial segments to teach each mechanic gradually. These had to be cut or merged to keep the project focused and cohesive, creating a tighter experience that still touches on every system.elow is the roadmap of all levels in the game. Under this image, I break down the levels I designed in more detail.
• Tutorial
The OfficeDesign Focus:
Introduce movement, set tone, and tease the artifact’s power.
The level begins in a tight, abandoned office space — evoking unease and curiosity. Players are guided through a short route where they must jump a pit to progress. Failing the jump respawns them nearby, allowing safe experimentation without breaking immersion.Once outside, the space opens drastically into a massive alien tunnel surrounded by scaffolding. This contrast in scale was designed to evoke tension and mystery, highlighting the artifact at the center.
The device is unmissable.A one-step tunnel rotation puzzle introduces the core mechanic through environment-driven interaction — no UI prompts needed.
• Puzzle 1
Aperture 𖣐Design Focus:
Introduce multi-step rotation puzzles, environmental hazards, and spatial awareness.
The player enters a new tunnel system — untouched by humans — marking a shift in tone and scale.The brutalist architecture emphasizes raw geometry and isolation, with lighting and audio guiding the sense of unease.This level introduces a 3-cylinder puzzle, encouraging players to plan ahead while rotating segments. A deadly wall forces players to hug the inner route, using environmental tension to teach safe paths through feedback and risk.The final cylinder offers two solutions, rewarding curiosity and validating multiple approaches.
• Puzzle 2
Aperture 𖣐
Design Focus:
Introduce multi-step rotation puzzles, environmental hazards, and spatial awareness.
The player enters a new tunnel system — untouched by humans — marking a shift in tone and scale.The brutalist architecture emphasizes raw geometry and isolation, with lighting and audio guiding the sense of unease.This level introduces a 3-cylinder puzzle, encouraging players to plan ahead while rotating segments. A deadly wall forces players to hug the inner route, using environmental tension to teach safe paths through feedback and risk.The final cylinder offers two solutions, rewarding curiosity and validating multiple approaches.
• Puzzle 3
The Descent
Design Focus:
Introduce new mechanics (sliding and gravity platforms) and deepen complexity through layered reuse.
The original plan was to introduce vertical movement and gravity platforms across two separate levels. But with limited time, I decided to merge both ideas into a single space — aiming to keep the complexity intact without overwhelming the player.To do this, I reused early tunnel segments, guiding the player backward before unlocking new routes forward. A vertical sliding platform introduces elevation, while the final section uses gravity: rotating a tunnel causes a platform to fall and align, creating a path.It was a balancing act between ambition and feasibility — but by refining the layout and puzzle flow, I preserved both mechanics while keeping the pacing tight.
Designing around a rotating environment required spatial clarity — the geometry had to be understandable in motion, and layouts needed to read well from multiple orientations. The challenge of making the rotation itself feel weighty and physical is covered in Core Mechanic Design, here I focused on how players read the space and solved movement-based puzzles inside it.
Core Mechanic Design
The central mechanic of Project Echo was the ability to rotate massive cylindrical tunnels to solve spatial puzzles and navigate through the environment. This feature needed to feel tactile and immersive, using the PS5's gyro controls and adaptive triggers to connect player input directly to world movement.
To pitch the idea and test feasibility, I built quick Unreal Engine prototypes early in development. Using simple blueprints, I created a system where looking at a cylinder and scrolling the mouse wheel would rotate it.This allowed us to evaluate its potential for puzzle design and refine its basic feel before moving to full implementation in Tengine.
One of the biggest challenges was making the rotation feel physically grounded and believable. The cylinders needed to feel heavy and mechanical, not like a game object spinning weightlessly. The solution was designing smooth rotation while spinning, combined with a snap-lock system that locked the cylinder into the closest interval when the player let go.This kept the mechanic feeling fluid but ensured platforms and environmental elements always aligned correctly, preserving puzzle functionality and immersion.
Platforming Systems
The central mechanic of Project Echo was the ability to rotate massive cylindrical tunnels to solve spatial puzzles and navigate through the environment. This feature needed to feel tactile and immersive, using the PS5's gyro controls and adaptive triggers to connect player input directly to world movement.
During development, I defined the behavior and feel of different platform types, including horizontal sliders, vertical lifts, and push/pull platforms.My role was to design how these should function, interact with the player, and integrate with the rotating tunnels.For example, I planned how push/pull platforms should feel weighty but responsive, and how vertical lifts should sync with rotation segments to avoid blocking player progress unintentionally.
Horizontal Platforms
Vertical Platforms
Push & Pull Platforms
Some work in progress videos of the mechanics
Interaction Design & Systems Setup
During development, I defined the behavior and feel of different platform types, including horizontal sliders, vertical lifts, and push/pull platforms.My role was to design how these should function, interact with the player, and integrate with the rotating tunnels.For example, I planned how push/pull platforms should feel weighty but responsive, and how vertical lifts should sync with rotation segments to avoid blocking player progress unintentionally.
To streamline things, I requested a setup guide from the programming team, a visual reference that explained how puzzle tags should be placed and how different logic pieces connected.This let me focus on building puzzles confidently, without constantly interrupting the programmers or second-guessing things. It saved time, reduced mistakes, and helped me keep the workflow clean.
Player Feedback Design
To streamline things, I requested a setup guide from the programming team, a visual reference that explained how puzzle tags should be placed and how different logic pieces connected.This let me focus on building puzzles confidently, without constantly interrupting the programmers or second-guessing things. It saved time, reduced mistakes, and helped me keep the workflow clean.
Crosshair, hero device, and controller feedback
Break working together to create a cohesive, tactile experience.
That was the seed of the idea. I started brainstorming with architectural concepts like the Panopticon, but quickly shifted gears after remembering Vah Naboris, the rotating divine beast from Breath of the Wild. I loved how the entire structure rotated to shift the level layout itself and wanted to push that further.From there, I began sketching ideas for cylindrical tunnels with shifting paths that could connect and disconnect based on rotation. I also pulled visual inspiration from Escher’s “Relativity” and the surreal hallways of Harry Potter.
UX & Tutorial Planning
Designing the tutorial experience in Project Echo was all about balancing learning with immersion. Because the game's main mechanic, rotating entire tunnels, was so unique, players needed just enough guidance to understand it, without feeling like they were being handheld.
We didn’t want to interrupt the pacing with UI pop-ups or stop-the-game moments. Instead, I worked with the design team to plan a natural onboarding experience where mechanics were introduced gradually through level layout and visual cues.To support the team, I created clear blockouts and design notes that helped everyone stay aligned. Every new mechanic was taught in a space where players could try it without pressure, and without being explicitly told what to do. Our goal was to make learning feel like part of the world, not something separate from it.
Crosshair, hero device, and controller feedback
Break working together to create a cohesive, tactile experience.
Environment & Aesthetic Setup
While the visual art was handled by our dedicated environment artists, I was responsible for placing, organizing, and assembling assets directly inside the engine. Using our custom toolset in Tengine, I made sure environments stayed readable and matched the design intent throughout production — both in early blockouts and final scenes.To improve workflow, I also suggested tool improvements, like clickable asset references and helped test exposed variables for faster iteration. When miscommunication caused issues between blockouts and final set dressing, I created a quick Milanote guide to help artists understand player paths and puzzle flow, keeping the experience consistent and readable.
The massive rotating arms were designed to overwhelm and guide the player's gaze through scale and motion
Challenges & Takeaways
While the environment art was handled by the dedicated artists on the team, I was responsible for placing, organizing, and assembling assets directly inside the engine. This included keeping naming conventions clean, structuring scenes clearly, and making sure everything matched the design intent.To improve workflow, I also suggested tool improvements, like clickable asset references and helped test exposed variables for faster iteration. When miscommunication caused issues between blockouts and final set dressing, I created a quick Milanote guide to help artists understand player paths and puzzle flow, keeping the experience consistent and readable.