Ruins of the Colossus

Ruins of the Colossus is an expansive, fully explorable AAA-quality game level I created as the final project for my degree in game artistry. It was created over the course of approximately 530 hours during the year 2023 using industry-standard tools and workflows. I designed the level with the goal to capture the same sense of scale that areas in Shadow of the Colossus evoke.

A robust modular kit was developed from a series of proxy blockout meshes initially used to create a modular graybox. The entire kit was created using the trim-and-tile workflow, comprising of between 150 and 200 unique modular pieces. Final geometry was created after roughly a dozen materials had been authored, which powered the majority of the project.

When constructing the level, this kit was supplemented with some free assets from the Unreal Marketplace. Attributions can be found at the bottom of this post.

I made roughly a dozen materials, including alternate worn versions, comprised of a variety of sandstone, tile, and metal patterns and trim designs. I blocked out the base geometry in 3ds Max and then brought it into ZBrush to create high poly sculpts of the brick edge wear and major crack formations. I created a few smart materials in Substance 3D Painter to use across materials for a more unified look to be applied after the materials were based down to a plane.

I made use of Lumen to achieve realistic real-time lighting. While largely a time-saving measure, I was very happy with how it came out. Sunlight and enhanced indirect scattering were enhanced with subtle point and spot lights throughout the level to ensure readability in all play areas.

This project would not have been possible without the support of my friends, family, peers, and mentors. A special thank you to Ryan Cline, Derek Franciosi, Hannah Kequom, and Mel Danes.

Additional Assets via

Rubble and Terrain from Quixel Megascans and “Deep Elder Caves” by Alexander Sychov

Decorative Props from “Gladiator Arena Environment Kit” by Denys Rutkovskyi, “City of Brass: Props” by UppercutGames, and “Ancient Treasures” by Dekogon Studios

Skybox from “GOOD SKY” by Uneasy Game Dev