Kurt Edison D'Amour

Level Designer

Theme park design art director transitioning into video game development.
Uncharted: Cornwall Copper Mine

Action Adventure Block Out
Third-Person
Unreal 5.5
Asset Pack: AGLS V1.3


Inspired by Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End, this single-player level plunges players into a collapsed copper mine at the edge of the Cornwall forest. What begins as a simple salvage mission quickly spirals into a desperate escape from armed mercenaries.

Design Objectives

Narrative-Driven Layout: Guide players through a story-rich space that feels both ancient and lived-in.

Cinematic Set Pieces: Integrate scripted moments (crumbling scaffolding, narrow escapes) to elevate tension.

Dynamic Cover-Based Combat: Encourage movement and improvisation with verticality and destructible cover.

Layered Traversal Routes: Use rope points, scaffolds, and crawlspaces to support exploration and multiple playstyles.

Key Features

Multi-Level Verticality: The mine’s three levels create vertical drama, with players descending while always glimpsing the surface and foreshadowing their return.

Environmental Hazards: Fragile walkways, unstable shafts, and a deteriorating elevator build tension and challenge platforming instincts.

Adaptive Combat Spaces: Dynamic debris, flanking routes, and elevation changes reward quick thinking and scrappy tactics.

Narrative Beats

Drop-Off and Detour: Sully drops Nate near the Cornwall coast for a quiet salvage mission. A sudden rockslide derails the path, forcing players through a streambed and up a series of climbing routes to reach the abandoned hoist house.

Unplanned Descent: The main mine entrance is sealed, so Nate scales the structure and accidentally collapses into the mine shaft, kicking off a long descent into the copper tunnels below.

Search for the McGuffin: Sully guides Nate via radio as he navigates the decaying tunnels and catwalks. Environmental storytelling leads players toward a hidden pirate chamber containing the artifact.

Shoreline Ambush: An explosive breach by Shoreline mercenaries collapses parts of the mine. Nate must now fight his way back up through the same paths he explored, recontextualized as dynamic combat zones.

Surface Showdown: Nate emerges at the original drop-off point, only to be pinned down by enemy fire. A few well-placed shots at explosive barrels clear a path just as Sully arrives for the getaway.

Crimson Knight - Coming Soon!
Souls-like
Third-Person
Unreal 5.5
Crimson Knight is a mythic action game set in a lifeless purgatory, where a fallen knight wades through an endless sea of blood to face the sins of his past. As he battles ghostly warriors and ascends toward the cathedral, he’s forced to relive his worst moments. Each fight brings him closer to a final reckoning with the Absolute, a divine goddess guarding his redemption.
Design Objectives
Use visual and environmental storytelling to build a world shaped by the Absolute’s presence: divine, sacred, and lived-in. The cathedral acts as both a spiritual stronghold and a mirror of the Crimson Knight’s past, shifting over time to reflect the sins he must face.

Each arena is designed to feel both awe-inspiring in scale and readable to the player, maintaining a clear sense of space, movement, and player orientation.

Combat emphasizes clarity and pacing, focusing on tight, deliberate encounters where every animation, sound cue, and environmental element supports player decision-making and emotional tension.
Blueprinting & System Highlights
Location-Based Storm Intensity (Dynamic Environment Transition):
This blueprint tracks player position within the cathedral courtyard and dynamically escalates the weather. The storm begins as a light drizzle and intensifies as the player advances, triggering lightning strikes, thunder cues, and environmental changes. By the end of the courtyard, the peaceful cathedral has fully transformed into a war-torn castle from the Crimson Knight's memory.

Collapsing Bell Tower Sequence:
As the knight climbs a guard-filled bell tower, tension builds until a massive bell drops from the top, smashing through the floor. A custom blueprint drives sequential destruction, sending the player plummeting through multiple collapsing levels until they land deep in the cathedral's buried catacombs.

Destructible Final Arena (Fractured Geometry System):
The final battle with the Absolute takes place in a fully destructible cathedral interior. Using a blueprint-driven system of destructible meshes and triggered events, nearly everything in the space can be destroyed; from pews and candelabras to entire support columns and stained-glass windows.
Fortnite: Iram of the Molars

Open World Battle Royale POI
Unreal Engine 5.5


Nestled in a lush river meander, this jungle-themed Point of Interest replaces Coney Crossroads with an ancient Mesoamerican city obsessed with... teeth. Centuries ago, the tribe worshipped dental health with fervor, building temples, altars, and even a “Denture Stage.” Now, the ruins—bridged into Fortnite’s modern world—host chaotic, toothsome combat.

To bring something minty fresh to Fortnite’s ever-evolving map, I started with a simple design question: what if a civilization took dental hygiene way too seriously? That absurd premise, rooted in the cult of the Flossophers, became the foundation for the entire POI. Every statue, structure, and loot spot was built around this tongue-in-cheek mythology, using the backstory not just for laughs, but to inform layout, traversal routes, and visual identity. The result is a battlefield that’s both strategic and delightfully ridiculous.

Gameplay Highlights

• 45 loot chests placed for exploration and risk-reward play.

• Ground loot favors natural player flow through transitional spaces.
Rich in stone, wood, and rare metal resources (via braces-themed braziers).

• Root canal-style underground tunnels for sneaky rotations.

• Central courtyard supports build battles, sniping, and ambushes.

Theme and Narrative

This POI blends Fortnite’s signature quirkiness with rich environmental storytelling. Inspired by the fictional Flossophers (a tooth-obsessed cult that overcorrected oral hygiene into extinction), Iram of the Molars delivers a fresh, cheeky setting with tactical depth and visual comedy.

Far Cry Primal: Cave Level
Action Adventure Block Out
First-Person
Unreal 5.3
Set in a remote, forested valley scarred by ancient waters, The Valley of Echoes blends open-world exploration with guided design. Built for Far Cry-style emergent gameplay, the level emphasizes player choice, reactive environments, and environmental storytelling.
Design Objectives
Natural Navigation: Use terrain, rivers, and elevation shifts to guide players without HUD reliance.

Layered Exploration: Create multiple approaches to each challenge, rewarding curiosity and replayability.

Dynamic Encounters: Design combat zones that support stealth, ambush, or full assault playstyles.

Environmental Storytelling: Scatter narrative clues through ruins, battlegrounds, and animal behavior.
Key Features

Riverine Pathway: The river serves as a visual guide through the valley. While swimming is disabled, its winding course creates intuitive routes marked by obstacles and natural landmarks.

Verticality and Terrain: Players can scale cliffs and ridgelines to scout enemies, find loot, or set ambushes. Height offers tactical and exploratory advantages.

Dynamic Wildlife Interactions:
Predators and prey roam freely. Animals may stalk, distract, or ambush the player, which introduces unpredictable, systemic encounters.

Design Process and Rationale

Player Agency: Designed multiple entry and exit points for key areas, allowing players to approach challenges in their preferred style—be it stealth, aggression, or avoidance.

Narrative Integration: Placed remnants of ancient tribes, battle sites, and natural anomalies throughout the valley to tell stories without explicit exposition.

Balancing Freedom and Direction: To prevent players from feeling lost, I incorporated landmarks and subtle pathways that naturally draw attention without breaking immersion.

Performance Optimization: Managed asset placement and terrain complexity to ensure smooth gameplay, especially in dense forested areas and complex cave systems.