In Black Mass, you'll explore a haunted environment looking for clues to escape and uncover the history of St Levine's, using a unique game mechanic: a camcorder that reveals a parallel realm. Be warned, though, because you won't be alone.
This project was created by a student team at Abertay University for DES310 Professional Project.
Co-Production
Game Design
Gameplay
Level Design
Smaller implementations and lighting in Unreal Engine 5
Trigger boxes for scares
Environmental animations
Lighting changes
Designing a horror game was more challenging than I expected. As someone not usually drawn to the genre, I quickly learned that crafting effective scares requires careful iteration. Early attempts fell flat during playtests, but through feedback and refinement, we found the right balance of unsettling atmosphere and well-timed scares to create a sense of paranoia.
As Gameplay Designer and Co-Producer, I also learned the value of tight, focused mechanics in short-form games. Instead of overloading players with tools, we centered the experience around a single mechanic—the camcorder—and enhanced it with purposeful features like zoom and flashlight, making gameplay more intuitive and immersive.
This project also deepened my understanding of production workflows. I gained hands-on experience with SCRUM, helped re-scope the game to stay on track, and used Jira for sprint planning and task management—all while collaborating with an international, multidisciplinary team.