Stalker: A Broken Fairytale
Premise
Years after escaping the cursed realm above the beanstalk, Jack lives in the shadows of the mortal world, feared and whispered about. But old habits die hard and when Jack steals a priceless magical artifact from the Kings vault, he doesn't realize it belonged to the Royal Treasury of Lost Realms, tied directly to the dark forces of the beanstalk realm he once escaped.
The theft shatters a fragile magical pact, and now the King sends a ruthless bounty hunter to retrieve both Jack and the artifact, dead or alive. But the King’s sorcerers have bound the artifact with a curse: it must be returned to its origin, or its wielder will slowly be consumed.
Jack’s only hope? Climb the beanstalk again, return the artifact to the corrupted realm below, and restore what he broke before the bounty hunter finds him.
Level Design Document Stalker: A Broken Fairytale
Overview
This level is designed for the game “Stalker: A Broken Fairytale,” developed in Unreal Engine 5. It is a single-player, narrative-driven action-adventure experience set within a dark fantasy world. The level, titled “The Gate of Gentle Lies,” serves as a start of game segment intended to challenge the player’s combat skills and their ability to solve environmental puzzles.
The primary design goal is to create a memorable, portfolio-worthy level that showcases strong level design principles, including linear path, environmental storytelling, and mechanical variety. This level emphasizes linear gameplay, allowing players to enjoy the story with combat and strategic puzzle-solving.
Story & Narrative
The player takes on the role of Jack who is being tracked by a bounty hunter, tasked by a corrupted king to hunt down Jack, a thief who stole a magical golden egg from a kingdom below the clouds. This level takes place within the floating ruins of an ancient gateway known as the Gate of Gentle Lies, a mystical structure designed to test the truthfulness and intent of those who pass through it.
Historically, the gate was used by the sky kingdom to judge travelers, separating the honest from the deceitful. However, over time, the gate has become corrupted, twisting its trials into dangerous illusions and deadly traps. As the player progresses, they uncover fragments of lore that suggest the sky kingdom itself may not be as righteous as it claims.
The player’s motivation is to continue to run from the bounty hunter and retrieve the golden egg fragments, but the level introduces doubt and moral ambiguity, reinforcing the game’s darker themes. Obstacles include hostile creatures, environmental hazards, and deceptive puzzle mechanics designed to mislead the player.
Gameplay
The primary objective of this level is to navigate through the Gate of Gentle Lies and reach the top of the top of the area, where Jack will start his journey in the floating tree forest called Gloamreach Forest. Unlike a branching structure, this level follows a linear progression, guiding the player through a carefully curated sequence of encounters and challenges that gradually increase in intensity.
The level begins in a controlled introductory space where players are introduced with core mechanics such as movement, interaction, and environmental awareness. From this point, players are funneled along a singular path that blends combat, traversal, and puzzle-solving into a cohesive experience.
Early in the level, players encounter light combat scenarios designed to reinforce core fighting mechanics and resource management. These encounters serve as a foundation before transitioning into more complex gameplay elements. As players progress, environmental puzzles are introduced, including mirror alignment, timed light sequences, and object placement challenges. These puzzles are integrated directly into the critical path, ensuring all players engage with them while maintaining pacing and narrative flow.
The level is designed to alternate between moments of tension and relief. Combat encounters increase in difficulty as players ascend further into the environment, while puzzle segments provide a slower, more thoughtful contrast. This pacing structure helps maintain player engagement and prevents fatigue from any single gameplay style.
Midway through the level, players reach a transitional checkpoint with Gloomgil, that serves as both a moment of respite and narrative reinforcement. Environmental storytelling elements, such as visual cues and world details, hint at the corrupted nature of the sky kingdom and foreshadow the final encounter.
The level culminates in a climactic boss fight against a guardian creature, a large, corrupted purple squid that protects an egg fragment. This encounter tests the player’s mastery of both combat and environmental awareness, combining previously learned mechanics into a single, high-stakes scenario.
The full experience is designed to take approximately 15–25 minutes to complete and is considered medium to high difficulty. Players are expected to enter the level with a working understanding of core gameplay systems and leave with improved proficiency in combat, puzzle-solving, and strategic decision-making.
Visual Design
The visual style of the level is a stylized fantasy aesthetic with bright, colorful environments contrasted by dark and unsettling undertones. The setting consists of floating islands, colorful architecture, and soft cloudscapes, all infused with subtle corruption elements such as glowing purple energy and distorted geometry.
Lighting plays a critical role in guiding the player. Warm, purple tones indicate safe or correct paths, while cooler, darker hues suggest danger or deception. Environmental storytelling is reinforced through visual cues such as broken statues, faded murals, and shifting illusions.
The time of day is a surreal twilight, creating a dreamlike atmosphere. The level exists in an alternate sky realm, detached from traditional reality, enhancing the sense of mystery and unease.
Player Experience
The intended player experience is one of curiosity, tension, and discovery. Players should feel intrigued by the beauty of the environment while simultaneously sensing that something is not quite right.
Memorability is achieved through unique visual landmarks, such as the towering gate structure and the surreal boss encounter, as well as through the integration of narrative elements into gameplay. The level reinforces the game’s central theme that appearances can be deceiving, leaving players questioning both the world and their role within it.
Papermap Layout
1. Start Area: Player spawns at the entrance of a creepy church structure.
2. Intro Space: A small cursed town called “Sun-Up Valley” introduces visual tone and basic navigation.
3. After speaking with the Merchant and collecting the hatchet:
-Enemy encounters, linear progression.
- Puzzle rooms including mirrors, clocks, and tombstones.
4. Midpoint Convergence: Gloomgill will help Jack with the “Gate of Gentle Lies” puzzle in order for Jack to progress and reach the top of the clouds.
5. Boss Arena: Encounter with the corrupted squid guardian to collect the puzzle items.
6. Exit Area: Reward sequence and transition to the next level.
Feature List
Gameplay Systems:
- Interaction system (keyboard/controller input)
- Dialogue system
- AI behavior (patrol, combat)
- Puzzle mechanics (light tracking, object placement)
- Checkpoint system
- Win/Loss conditions
Technical Features:
- Trigger volumes
- Level scripting events
- UI updates
- Audio integration
Level Flow & Spatial Design
The level is structured around a vertically ascending layout that guides the player from a grounded entry point to a climactic cloud-top encounter. The player begins in a small cursed town called “Sun-Up Crossing”, enclosed area surrounded by cloud and rock formations, which acts as both a safe introduction space and a visual anchor.
From this starting zone, the player is funneled along a natural pathway toward a central graveyard that functions as the first puzzle. This graveyard presents the player with a puzzle-oriented path that prioritizes environmental interaction and problem-solving.
Environmental elements such as elevation changes, lighting, and landmark placement are used to subtly guide the player without explicit instruction, encouraging exploration while maintaining directional clarity.
Jack
Personality
Jack is no longer the naive farm boy from the classic tale. This version is hardened, cunning, and unpredictable. Years of survival in a corrupted realm above the beanstalk have warped his mind. He’s resourceful but deeply mistrustful, with a feral intensity. Jack speaks in hushed riddles, often hinting at dark secrets from the land above.
Backstory
In this darker reimagining, Jack didn't just steal from the giant, he unleashed something. When he climbed the beanstalk, he stumbled into a world of decay, twisted magic, and broken time. The giant’s world had long since fallen into ruin, plagued by a curse Jack unknowingly helped escape.
Trapped there for what felt like decades, Jack survived by scavenging and bargaining with the strange entities that roamed the beanstalk’s heights. Eventually, he found a way back down, but he's not the same. He’s brought something back with him, and the beanstalk now pulses with unnatural energy. Wherever he goes, shadows follow.
Abilities
Bean Curse: Jack can summon small, writhing vines from the ground that ensnare or attack foes.
Giant’s Echo: Jack sometimes hears voice fragments of the giant’s thoughts and gains brief prophetic insight.
Brundar Ironbark, The Giant
"The mountains remember... even if men do not."
Long ago, when the world was still young and the skies were clearer, the giants were stewards of balance—keepers of the wilds and wardens of ancient ley lines buried deep beneath the roots of the world. Brundar was one of them: a Rootwarden, charged with protecting the sacred groves and mountain veins where nature's magic was strongest.
Brundar stood above all others in his clan—not for his size or strength (though both were considerable), but for his wisdom and resolve. While others slumbered through centuries or wandered into legend, Brundar remained rooted in his oath, bound to the land as its eternal guardian.
The Fall of the Leywild Gate
Centuries ago, a human king seeking immortality tore open the Leywild Gate, a hidden passage between worlds that Brundar's kind had long protected. The resulting surge of power scorched the mountain forests, shattered the ancient groves, and corrupted many of Brundar's kin—twisting them into warped monstrosities or erasing them entirely.
Brundar fought back, but the war cost him everything. His people. His home. His purpose.
Rather than succumb to despair, he exiled himself—choosing solitude over surrender. With chains made of woven root and stone, he bound himself to the surviving leyline beneath the dead mountain, vowing to defend it until the world remembered what it had forgotten.
Abilities
- Earthen Wrath: Slams the ground to cause shockwaves and tremors.
- Ley Bind: Can summon vines, roots, and stone to trap or crush enemies.
- Root Memory: Has visions of ancient events and secrets locked in the earth.
- Oath of Stone: As long as he stands on natural ground, Brundar cannot be moved by force.
Croaklin Toadmoor, The Luckweaver
"The dice don’t lie. But I do… frequently."
Croaklin wasn’t always magical—nor was he always a frog.
Once a down-on-his-luck hedge wizard in the criminal underbelly of Mireport, Croaklin made his living rigging enchanted dice, conjuring illusions in back alley taverns, and selling fake fortunes to drunk nobles. His talents with charm spells and sleight of hand made him notorious—but one night, he bet more than he could bluff.
During a game of Spindleboneswith a traveling archfey disguised as a toothless beggar, Croaklin cheated—and was cursed on the spot. The fey turned him into a frog, declaring, "If you love your luck so dearly, let it stick to your slimy skin forever."
But Croaklin didn’t croak.
He embraced the change. Over time, he learned to channel the chaotic weave of luck magic through his new amphibian form. He stitched together a robe from discarded cloth, forged enchanted charms from lost trinkets, and carved his first wizard staff from a tavern stool leg.
Now, Croaklin travels the land as a wandering gambler-wizard, wagering spells, secrets, and sometimes souls at high-stakes tables in underground mage duels and ethereal casinos.
Abilities
- Hexed Dice: Croaklin can cast spells through enchanted dice. Each roll determines the outcome—success, failure, or wild magical effects.
- Arcane Bluff: A spell that forces enemies to believe false magical effects or illusions until proven wrong.
- Gambler’s Luck: Once per day, Croaklin can reroll any failed spell, saving throw, or game of chance.
- Curse of the Croaking Court: When angered, Croaklin can summon ghostly frogs that whisper secrets or spread confusion.
Gloomgil — The Keeper of Unspoken Paths
Gate of Nasty Lies
Long ago, before the corruption spread, the great beanstalk that connected the worlds was said to be alive in a way few understood. It responded to truth. It grew toward light, toward honesty, toward those with clear intent.
But something changed.
The first signs were subtle.
Leaves that curled inward. Vines that twisted against themselves. A faint bitterness in the air, like something rotting just beneath the surface. Those who traveled the beanstalk began to report strange occurrences—paths that seemed to shift, whispers that echoed too long, and the feeling of being… watched.
Some claimed they saw Gloomgil more often during this time.
Not helping. Just… observing.
Listening longer than usual.
Smiling a little too wide.
VYLA, The Shardwing
Backstory:
Long ago, Vyla was born from the breath of moonlight and the last scream of a dying star — or so the fables say. She was once heir to the Glimmer Throne, a noble bloodline of fae who ruled the Mirror Hollows, a place where reflection and truth were dangerously intertwined. Her wings shimmered gold back then. Her eyes held galaxies.
But power in the fey realm is never held — only borrowed.
During a failed coup led by her twin brother, Vyla was betrayed, wing-bound, and cast out into the Cracked Realms — a shattered borderland between life, dream, and the in-between. Her wings, once symbols of royalty, were infected with shade-rot, a corruption that burned away their light and left behind the tattered, translucent blades you see now.
She survived by hiding in ruins and feeding on stray dreams, discarded memories, and the occasional lost wanderer. Over centuries, her mind frayed at the edges. Not broken — but... bent. Vyla speaks in riddles. Laughs when she’s afraid. And often forgets if she’s being kind, or cruel, or both.
Role in the Game:
In Stalker, Vyla is a key NPC (and potential companion). Jack meets her in the Glassrot Marsh, where she is attempting to sew together torn dreams using spider silk and promises. She offers help — for a price.
Her motives are unclear:
- Does she want revenge on her brother?
- Is she secretly rebuilding her court?
- Or is she just lonely in a world too broken to love her back?
She can guide Jack through twisted fey logic puzzles, open magical shortcuts, and even possess items to “whisper” to them. But she will notalways be truthful. If Jack betrays her trust, Vyla may turn hostile — or worse — whisper secrets to your enemies.
RAK THORN, THE BOUNTY HUNTER
Backstory:
Rak Thorn was born in the Ashen Iron Wastes, a blighted stretch of land where the only law was blood, and the only currency was pain. As a child, he was traded to a fleshforger— a cruel blacksmith who augmented warriors with cursed metals in exchange for their memories. Rak was reforged again and again until only fragments of the boy remained.
He became a weapon with a face. His body now carries dozens of hidden modifications: whirring joints, retractable snares, ghoststeel ligaments, and even a rune-burned oath brand that binds him to any contract sealed in royal ink.
Years later, he was recruited by the King of the Beanstalk Realm, not because he was loyal — but because he wasn’t. Rak has no love for kingdoms or kings. He hunts because it’s the only thing that still makes sense to him. Contracts fill the hole where a soul might’ve been.
But he remembers Jack. Not well — but enough to know that the boy once looked at him with something close to pity. That unsettles him. Deeply.
Role in the Game:
Rak Thorn is the persistent force hunting Jack after the theft of the Royal Seed Vault. He's not fast — but he’s relentless. He tracks Jack across realms using scent, sound, and shadowtrails. If he ever catches up? He offers choices, not just combat.
Mechanically, Rak can appear during moments of rest, leveling up, or false security. He might:
- Offer twisted "favors" in exchange for progress
- Force Jack into stealth or sacrifice scenarios
- Reveal parts of Jack’s past (Rak may have known Jack's mother or former guardian)
He is also the keeper of the Ledger — a cursed journal that lists every unpaid debt across the known and unknown worlds. And Jack's name has recently been written in ink that screams.
Merchant Of Broken Tales
Backstroy
Who He Was
Long before Jack climbed the beanstalk, he was the Royal Archivist. His role was to record stories as they truly happened—not the polished versions told to children, but the truth.
The Forbidden Discovery
He discovered that stories could be changed—not just on paper, but in reality. When scribes altered history, the world itself began to shift.
The Bottled Truth
To preserve reality, he began capturing true events inside bottles. Each vial holds a memory, a moment, a truth that was erased.
The Fall of the Fairytale
The king ordered the greatest lie of all—to make the kingdom perfect. When reality was rewritten, the world broke. The giant rose, the sky split, and the golden goose was taken.
Now – The Merchant
He now lives between stories, appearing in hidden shops. He sells fragments of truth, guiding those who are willing to listen.
His Role in the Game
He serves as the narrator of Stalker, revealing the story piece by piece. He never tells everything at once—only what the player is ready to hear.
Final Truth
He is not guiding Jack to steal the golden egg—he is guiding him to restore the true story of the world.