Welcome to my portfolio!

About Me

Hi I'm Michael Sanderson, a 3rd year game design student studying at Falmouth University.

I have a strong passion for level design, environmental storytelling and puzzle design.

Programs:
Unity, Hammer Editor, Unreal Engine (Learing)
Skills:

Layout Design, Level Scripting, Puzzle Design, Environmental Storytelling, C# Programming, Agile Scrum, Project Management

Projects

Here you can find my most recent games and projects. Click below to learn more about my development process!

You Are Being Hunted

You are Being Hunted is a Half-Life 2 level I created to showcase and develop my skills in puzzle design, combat and level scripting.

My intention for this project was to focus on designing a technical combat experience in the Half Life 2 level design style. The layout and pacing were designed to simulate the feeling of being ambushed and trying to escape while also trying to make the level feel as authentically Half Life 2 esc in gameplay as possible.

I specifically focused on designing:

Puzzles and combat incorporating the gravity gun tool and scripted events.

Check out my blog in the menu tab for more details on my development process and what I learned along the way!

Snowbound

Snowbound is a 2.5D puzzle adventure game following the journey of a young stowaway trying to escape an autocratic city in a fictional 1920s Europe. Players must use stealth and solve puzzles to earn their freedom on the other side of the border.

I worked on Snowbound as part of a team project in my second year at Falmouth Unviersity. My main role was as the lead level designer.

The main challenge I faced on this project was adapting to designing levels in 2.5D, as I did not have access to the same creative freedom in layout design that I relied on in 3D.

This forced me to adapt by learning new ways of creating an cohesive and engaging user experience such as environmental storytelling, using set pieces and creating cutscenes to onboard players to mechanics and hit narrative beats.

I also played a significant role in the programming, mechanics design and team management.

The gameplay mechanics and narrative took heavy influence from Playdead's Inside and Tarsier Studio's Little Nightmares which were very influential for our project. Particularly for their unique use of environmetal storytelling, set dressing and mechanics to tell the story instead of conventional dialogue.

Find out more about my development process in my 2025 Rookies contest entry below!

https://www.therookies.co/entries/40292

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