80 Level Community Metasites Challenge: Winners Spotlight

Our 80 Level Community Metasites Challenge has reached its conclusion and we invite you to take a closer look at the incredible projects from our three winners.

Grand Winner:

1PM by Shaun Williams

Scenario

You awaken in a strange laboratory with no recollection of whom you are or where you are. The game is set in a futuristic lab environment and is played as a real first person game where the player must complete objectives and defeat enemies to progress through the game.

Concept

I wanted to create an eerie futuristic lab environment that the player explores upon awakening from a cryogenics pod. Originally, I designed 1pm to be a stealth game featuring security encounters later in the final game. As the game developed, I ended up adding infected lab staff with some zombie traits, which helped to enhance gameplay and provide more enemy variety as players progress through the experience. My aim was to evoke a sense of claustrophobia in narrow corridors and various small rooms and spaces within the game, while also portraying it as a large, complex facility, encouraging players to focus on navigation and becoming accustomed to the level.

Play Now:  https://80.lv/cgs/1pm

Teaser: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s6RIOW-M5H4&t=1s

Project breakdown: https://www.artstation.com/blogs/shauntwilliams/pAD97/1pm-80-lvl-metasites-challenge-winner-developer-overview

2nd Place Winner:

D-Eye by Sang Nguyen

Receiving this second prize from the 80 Level Community Metasites Challenge is a great honor. The competition features diverse and inspiring content within clear rules, allowing for creativity across various subjects. Over the past three months, I've honed my artistic perception and technical skills in scripting, visual effects, environment creation, sound design, and animation. I'm grateful for the learning experience and look forward to future challenges. Thanks to 80 Level, organizers, judges, and sponsors for this opportunity. Excited for what's next!

Project breakdown: https://www.artstation.com/artwork/5vrbez

Play Now: https://80.lv/cgs/deye

3rd Place Winner:

Binur Golpo by Aritra Chaklader

Winning third prize in the 80 Level Community Metasites Challenge was a true honor. My submission, "Binu’r Golpo" ("Binu’s Tale"), allowed me to showcase a captivating interactive story set in Bangladesh's Sundarbans Region. Inspired by my recent trip there, the project's sound and environment design are deeply influenced by the region's rich history and folklore. Drawing from Tepa Putul, a traditional terracotta sculpture of Bangladesh, the character design pays homage to the country's cultural heritage.

Developing the game has been a journey of learning. Implementing Nanite, Lumen, and DLSS for the best visuals while maintaining performance was challenging, pushing me to master optimization techniques. Despite initial apprehension with Unreal Blueprint as a non-programmer, the support from the 80 Level Technical Team, especially Tanmay and Bea, was invaluable. I'm grateful to the judges for their feedback, which motivated me to improve. Thanks to the entire 80 LV team for hosting the challenge. This experience is the motivation me to develop more games. 

Play Now:  https://80.lv/cgs/binur-golpo

Prize Providers

A big thank you to our prize partners for their continued support and for generously providing fantastic prizes to our semifinalists and winners during this challenge.