I’ve always been captivated by cathedrals, and I think most level designers probably feel similarly. They’re such massive, intricate constructs; standing in one, you can really imagine the awe that people must have felt in a time when buildings higher than two stories were noteworthy. They’re great spaces for gameplay too, with all the architectural flourishes to climb over and dark corners to explore. In short, when I was handed an area to build a POI of some religious function I knew I had to take a swing at wringing the best cathedral I could out of our kit.

A key goal here was to create a truly cavernous interior space. I wanted the overall structure of the building to remain intact enough that it would sell the imposing edifice of a cathedral from a distance, but Spellbreak’s movement-heavy gameplay meant that a fully-enclosed space without numerous entrances and exits could easily feel cramped. The solution was to ensure that the interior of the building was massive enough to traverse comfortably, and to blow open just enough of the walls to provide easy passage in and out without losing the form of the cathedral as a whole. Definitely took some planning and adjustments as the POI took shape, but I feel like it ended up in a good place.

I also wanted to throw a twist in with the inclusion of the tree growing in the center of the building. I thought this broke up the space in an interesting way, and kept it from feeling too empty given its size. From a narrative perspective I intended it to somewhat distance Choirbank from a real world cathedral; Spellbreak was set in a fictional world, so whatever services were held in this place wouldn’t be exactly like what you’d see at a real life cathedral. A large tree surrounded by offerings felt like a nice touch of fantasy to give the space its own identity.