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The Last Note
The Last Note
Role
Solo Developer
Type
Game Development
Tools
Unity, C#
Context
University Exam Project
The Last Note
First-person horror in Unity. Scope decisions came first. The atmosphere came from that.
PROBLEM STATEMENT
What is the minimum a first-person horror game requires to create genuine tension — when the developer is learning the engine from scratch under exam conditions?
HYPOTHESIS / BET
BET
Horror doesn't require complex mechanics. It requires controlled pacing and information asymmetry. If atmosphere (lighting, sound, environmental cues) is the primary design tool — rather than systems — a 5-minute experience can still create genuine tension.
DESIGN DECISIONS
Atmosphere Over Mechanics
Horror games fail when mechanics distract from dread. An inventory system or jump puzzle pulls cognitive attention away from the environment. With 5 minutes of content and Unity, building complex systems would have meant building them badly. Choosing atmosphere as the primary tool was a deliberate prioritisation decision, not a workaround.
Simple Puzzles as Pacing Tools
Puzzles in horror serve a specific function: they slow the player down in tense spaces, extending exposure to the environment. Complex logic puzzles shift focus to problem-solving and away from atmosphere. Simple puzzles — find this, place it here, unlock the next space — keep the player physically present in the world.
First-Person Perspective
First-person removes the psychological safety buffer of watching a character react. The player cannot observe 'a character' — they are in the space. For a short experience, this amplified tension without requiring additional content to be built.
WHAT FAILED
FAILURE
ROOT CAUSE
IMPACT
Narrative layer incomplete — setting exists but environmental storytelling was not built
First-person controller, lighting baking, collision layers consumed far more setup time than projected
Game functions mechanically but doesn't tell a story
Core mechanics finished late, leaving no time budget for polish
Underestimated Unity engine setup time
Player understands what happened procedurally, not narratively
OUTCOME & REFLECTION
The hypothesis held partially: atmosphere-first design did create tension with minimal mechanics. But tension without context — without a reason to care — fades quickly. A horror experience needs both. That is the gap I would close in a second version.
KEY TAKEAWAY
When learning a new tool under deadline, the first hour should produce the smallest possible complete thing — a room, a door, a trigger — not a full scope plan. I planned too much and built too late. This project taught me the difference between scoping and starting.
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Yeonsu's Portfolio / The Last Note
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