South Park: Snow Day!
Role: Senior Level Designer
Game: South Park: Snow Day! (1-4 player co-op action brawler with rogue-like elements)
Platform: PC (Steam link), PS5, Xbox Series X, Switch
I implemented levels, all scripted VO, and the hub tutorials. I was also the mission scripter for the game, replicating goal instructions and navigation icons for host and client players. I made the managers that roll randomized ambush levels, Henrietta (bonus upgrade) locations, and loot containers for each mission.
Levels and Missions
I designed map layouts and combat encounters for memorable landmarks from the show, including:
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South Park Elementary (the tutorial)
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Cartman's Backyard where players load in
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Starks Pond: The Community Center, The Cleft, The Hill, Starks Pond Hub, South Park Train Station, Backcountry Adventures Rope Course, The Geology Station, and the Ice Trap Waterfall
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South Park Foothills: The Bus Stop and Backyards, Father Maxi's Church, DinkinBaus Hot Dogs
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Bosses: Kyle at the Glade, Stan at the Playground, Cartman at Loomis Gasoline
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“Ambush!” single encounter combat spaces that procedurally slotted between travel points in the world including: Two nature trails, an amphitheater, and a railroad crossing.
I took the levels from 2D layouts, to graybox, to final art and gameplay. I developed combat conditional tools for other level designers, creating playable examples in test maps, maintaining the game's metrics gym, and teaching over video calls. I led weekly reviews with our co-dev level design partners at Black Forest Games, empowering their designs with clear technical documentation.
Level Design Process: Father Maxi's Church
Each level began with a sketch to lay out the strengths of each landmark and its possibilities for highlighting weapon and player powers. Vertical variation was considered for sightline optimization, cover from enemy fire, and perches for players who favored longer range weapons like the bow. My first 2D layout of The Church placed combat in the graveyard, pacing rest moments at recognizable hero locations where fans would naturally want to take in the view.
With feedback from Design Director Ken Strickland and fellow level designer Shane Paluski, I iterated the blockout. The mausoleums in the graveyard became a series of orthogonal paths for the sneaky “Assassin” enemies to lie in wait. Pushing some graves beyond mantle-height gave players with the Fart Escape power - an AOE blast launching the character upwards - a cool advantage in locating these enemies. Melee players might instead plug the corridors with Snowball Turrets, luring enemies into their line of fire. The goal was to say "yes" to player experimentation and provide the spatial tools to make every playstyle shine.
Further into development I added more combat encounters to show off ice snipers and introduce Cartman's snow decoy (foreshadowing his boss fight). Quieter areas peppered with loot were inserted to break up the action and entice players off the critical path. But the largest revision came from Narrative: We needed to introduce adult enemies here. I revised the graveyard section to introduce them with the Liane Cartman miniboss fight. The encounter now had new challenges:
Wayfinding When Pace Slows
Problem: Narrative proposed a new intro sequence where Cartman lures the players into a trap, revealing Liane in a cutscene. But if the player lags behind Cartman to collect loot how will they know where to go next?
Solution: Cartman’s objective marker could still be used as a guide, so I scripted a custom AI “job” (the markup system used for partrols and sniper points created by Engineering Lead Kain Shin) for him to stay in place until the player triggered the cutscene. I made the entrance a drop down off a shed framed with trees so the player cannot peek at the combat area and spoil the surprise before meeting Liane.
Introducing a New Faction
Problem: Adults in previous levels aren't enemies. How will the player know they're a threat?
Solution: I proposed in-combat scripted VO to solve this. I wrote sample lines outlining what players needed to learn from this scene. I worked with writers Jordan Thomas and Jolie Menzel to iterate on the length of the final lines, ensuring the explanation didn’t distract from learning the adults' attacks in combat. We made two options for variation across repeat playthroughs over the game's rogue-like act structure. I then implemented the lines in Blueprint, ensuring their priority was higher than combat barks and systemic commentary.
Revising Space for New Enemies
Problem: Adults are faster than players with a stun-grapple attack. The player needs tools in the level to gain an advantage.
Solution: I worked with Lead Combat Designer Johnny Oh to understand the metrics of the adults' attacks. I lowered the original gravestone area to give them more nav room. This created a partial ring around the outer edge that enemies had to take time to mantle out of, slowing them down. The shed players enter through and a snow bank on the far side of the arena remained at their initial height as strongholds players could claim from enemies. These sniper nests worked both ways – players could attack from range but ice snipers use the ledges effectively too, keeping players moving across the level.