Overview

Our environments serve as the foundation for world-building, storytelling, and gameplay. They must feel grounded, lived-in, and layered with history, while also providing visually distinct spaces that support stealth and tactical gameplay.

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Here are a few key elements of our environments:

1. Increase Immersion

The game is set in 2035, but the world doesn’t reset every decade. Unlike Deus Ex: Human Revolution and Mankind Divided, where futuristic cities often feel like sterile space stations, our environments reflect a realistic blend of past and future architecture. Cities don’t bulldoze every pre-2030 building and replace it with sleek neon towers overnight—older structures remain, layered with new technology.

Key Features:

• Blended Architecture: A mix of 1980s, 1990s, and early 2000s structures with modern updates—think old brick factories with holographic security panels, or a crumbling theater converted into a high-tech surveillance hub.
• Grounded Futurism: New technology is integrated logically, like smart glass or digital signage, but older power lines, HVAC systems, and graffiti exist alongside.
• Juxtaposition in Level Design: High-tech security hubs hidden under classical buildings (Hitman: Sapienza with the underground biolab), reinforced concrete bunkers leading into sleek data centers (Sniper Ghost Warrior Contracts 2).

Design Goals:
The world should feel authentic, not sci-fi for sci-fi’s sake. Every environment tells a story of how society has evolved—modernization is layered on top of the past rather than replacing it outright. This contrast makes levels more visually and thematically interesting, creating a sense of history and depth to every location.

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2. Intensify Combat

The visual and artistic design of the environment plays a crucial role in making combat feel tense, dynamic, and immersive. It’s not just about where cover is placed—it’s about how lighting, materials, destruction, and visibility impact every fight. The world should feel responsive to combat, creating moments of tension, surprise, and opportunity through smart environmental design.

Key Features:

• Lighting & Visibility Matter – Deep shadows hide enemies, while flickering lights, muzzle flashes, and backlighting create unpredictable firefights. Blinding spotlights and neon glare force players to reposition.
• Cover Has Depth & Reactivity – Hard cover like concrete and steel fully blocks bullets, while wood, drywall, and glass can be shot through or destroyed.
• Environmental Hazards & Dynamic Effects – Fire suppression systems, glass, dust from bullet impacts, and explosive hazards add layers of chaos.

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Design Goals:
Our environments should not just look good—they should feel like real places under fire. Every detail, from how shadows hide enemies to how gunfire interacts with materials, needs to reinforce tactical depth. The goal is to make combat feel unpredictable and immersive, where lighting, destruction, and visibility force the player to stay constantly aware of their surroundings.

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3. Enhance Stealth

Stealth isn't just about staying out of sight—it’s about how the environment enables and reacts to concealment. The art direction of each level should enhance stealth mechanics through lighting, surface materials, and spatial design, ensuring that players feel immersed in the shadows while planning their next move.

Key Features:

• Lighting & Shadows as Tactical Tools – High contrast lighting creates deep shadows for cover, while dynamic lights (flashlights, searchlights, flickering neon) force players to adapt and time their movements. Players can disable lights, use night vision, and exploit blind spots to remain unseen.
• Surfaces & Sound Matter – Movement noise depends on materials—metal grates, glass shards, and puddles amplify sound, while carpets, dirt, and soft surfaces allow silent movement. Verticality is key, with overhead catwalks, pipes, and ledges offering alternative paths and silent drop assassinations.
• Environmental Cover & Obstruction – Players can blend into dense environments like cluttered storage rooms, use frosted glass or fog as concealment, and navigate through dynamic obstructions like steam vents, smoke, and shifting shadows to evade patrols.

Design Goals:
Stealth should feel organic, immersive, and tactical—not just a set of mechanics, but something the environment naturally encourages. Shadows, surface materials, and lighting should guide the player’s approach, creating dynamic tension as they decide when to move, when to hide, and when to strike. Every inch of a level should feel like an opportunity—or a trap—depending on how the player engages with it.

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Final Thoughts

A strong environment doesn’t just look good—it pulls the player in and demands engagement. Every space should feel lived-in, realistic, and reactive, keeping players immersed in a world where light source, and piece of cover can mean life or death.