About
I'm a game designer who specializes in level design. I love weaving the collective work of every discipline and department together to create memorable experiences that serve our vision and make games we are proud of.I was a winner of the Red Bull Capture Point Photography Contest 2022 and won Best in Show for Canada. This led me to pursue game design and graduate from the Vancouver Film School Game Design Program.I am currently a Contract Playtester for Lionbridge Games Studios & DAQA.I created my website and all of my work without the use of AI.
GAME DESIGN
ESC/APE
Student Project
Role: Level Designer
2025
Burst Your Bubble
Global Game Jam 2025
Role: Level Designer
Haunted House
Student Project
Role: Level Designer
2024
Memories of Yheleanor
Student Project
Role: Level Designer
2024
Counter Strike 2: Abandoned Market
Student Project
Role: Level Designer
2024
Gamba Gun
Commission
2025
Role: Trailer Editor
ESC/APE is a first-person, movement & physics-based combat game where you take control of Abe, a genetically enhanced ape that has been held in captivity for testing his entire life. Slide, throw, and slam your way through brutal trials to prove you are the apex specimen. Is this just another day in the lab for Abe, or will he finally make his escape?
Notable Features
play as a genetically enhanced MONKEY 🙉
physics-based mayhem
fast-paced first-person combat & platforming
secrets around every corner
speedrun friendly
My Main Contributions
overall design
level design & construction
point of contact & direction for every department
integrating all mechanics & assets provided into a cohesive experience
set-dressing, lighting, and colour grading
balancing, tuning, pacing, structure
running & documenting over 100 playtests
documentation & organization (Notion/Jira)
research & references
photos, videos, storyboard, and trailer concept
Trailer
Images
Created by SKüFT
Vish Epa - Project Manager
Peter Tran - Level Designer
Clara Ogston - Level Designer
Nolan Ross - Tech Artist
Toni Toncic - Environment Artist
Angus McAloon - Programmer
Declan Johnston - Lead Composer
Wildan Tao - Lead Audio Designer
Guill Magumcia - Trailer Editor
BEHIND THE SCENES
🎥 BEHIND THE SCENES
🎉 Playtesting & Reception
TLDR
currently 60 positive Steam reviews
The Finale at VFS Pitch & Play
running & documenting over 100 playtests = tons of data to iterate with
hands-off playtest approach for honest feedback
playtest feedback led to early-development pivot from arena to linear
iterated constantly to minimize frustration points and maximize what players enjoyed quickly
The Bible
Our team needed a centralized hub, and I wanted somewhere to track tasks, sprints, bugs, key files, meeting notes, and playtest data in one easy-to-navigate space. Being the organization enthusiast that I am, I set up a Notion TeamSpace with Jira integration to streamline everything.I designed it not just for efficiency but for accessibility, ensuring my team and I could quickly find what we needed instead of digging through scattered files. Throughout production, I maintained and updated the TeamSpace, and it became an essential tool in keeping our workflow smooth and our focus on making the game the best it could be.
Steam Release
Time + Iteration = Quality
I made it a point to get as many playtests (without dev interference or suggestion) as we could because what good is a game if only the devs can finish it or enjoy it? This gave me the info I needed to round off the hard edges (sometimes literally, like changes to geometry in the players' favor), clarify what was confusing players, and emphasize what players loved about it. I relayed the notes to the rest of the team, and we got straight to work.I relied heavily on taking real-time observation notes myself instead of just post-play surveys, so suggestion bias wouldn’t influence their feedback. By the last few playtest sessions, we boosted our playtest completion rate to where players of all skill levels saw the end.Playtests were everything for me, and without them, the game wouldn't be half as great as it is.
⏳ Speedrunners
TLDR
speedrunners enjoy the hands-off tutorialization
high-skill ceiling with a low-skill floor
Unobtrusive Design
With ESC/APE being a game that fulfills the fantasy of being an ape in first-person perspective, I wanted players to stay immersed in that experience as much as possible. I campaigned to stay out of the players' way by keeping them in control. That meant no cutscenes, no game-pausing tutorialization, and no heavy-handed hints throughout the entire game. Taking on this challenge meant that level design had to be intuitive, objectives were crystal clear, and the narrative beats satisfying. One of my favourite examples is the elevator ride up to the finale. The player, who has been accustomed to moving fast, is now confined to a box to wait. Making this playable instead of a cutscene made for a humorous narrative beat and, gameplay-wise, gave players (and speedrunners) a moment of calm before the storm.
Unobstructed Speed
While I designed ESC/APE to be enjoyed throughout multiple playthroughs and enjoyed speedrunning it myself, I never thought that it would resonate with others to the point where people would start competing by themselves without being prompted. It never gets old seeing people on my friends list booting up our game of their own volition or getting messages from people trying to beat the speedrun record, a record that I, a dev of the game, no longer hold (thanks, Chombo & SockMunchers).
Glitchless Speedrun
Any% Speedrun
🔎 Challenges & Solutions
TLDR
elected as "designated designer" on our team
weighed the pros and cons and carved a path out ahead
found solutions that retained our vision
rallied the team to a common goal, quelled tensions
pivoted from arena challenges to lab trials
restructured the game, build it, iterated relentlessly, and delivered
From the Ritz to the Rubble
Like any team, we set out with great ambitions and a clear vision, and things were smooth. A month into the project and after plenty of playtests, uncertainty had divided the team on whether we should stick to the capitalistic dystopian ape coliseum brawler we first envisioned or pivot to something else entirely. Tensions ran high as they do when you care about what you're making. With the team disheartened, we decided we needed someone to be a designated designer to unify vision and drive development. Turns out it was me.Playtesters were enjoying moments of their time, but getting the narrative and gameplay beats we wanted consistently for each playtester proved difficult in an arena setting. Driving players towards objectives in an arena with moving parts seemed like far more work with a lot less impact than what we wanted for the player, and tutorialization was overwhelming and stiff.After weighing the time we had left, our core ideas, taking stock of all the pieces of the game we had created so far, and paying close attention to our playtests, I decided we would go linear. Seeing the moments players enjoyed in our first attempts allowed me to weave those moments into a consistently enjoyable handcrafted experience.I pitched the lab setting, which aided in naturalistic tutorials and pacing, retained the ape in "escape", and pushed for diverse, well-paced objectives and narrative beats. In the end, it all worked out, and the team was pleased, as well as our playtesters.
Arena Level Iterations
Rudimentary Linear Test to Rally Team
Linear Level Iterations
Trailer Concept
BY Peter Tran
To Be a Designer by Unifying Vision and Drive Development
As production progressed and our game evolved, it became clear we needed a dedicated designer. Someone to make final calls, keep development moving, and unify our ideas under a cohesive vision. While we all contributed to the game's design, having a central decision maker and vision holder was essential.As a level designer, I was already shaping the player’s experience with our collective work. I had a finger in every pie. From sitting in and giving feedback for music & SFX, to making reference boards with dimensions for the artists, or creating a storyboard and concept trailer, I was giving direction while tuning and balancing what the programmers gave me and creating the game and it's levels with my fellow level designer too.The team voted me for the job. With all those touchpoints across the team, I understood our path ahead and had the confidence to rally the team to realize it. With their trust in my judgment, stepping into the role of designer felt natural.Here's a look at the concept trailer I created for our editor to give him the gist of what I was looking for. He took it and ran with it.
Painting the Arena: Creative Solutions for a Violent Vision
We aimed to create a game that blended retro aesthetics and simplicity with modern chaos, featuring physics-driven objects and the concept of "painting the arena" with enemies. However, some team members were opposed to the idea of excessive gore, so we needed to maintain the spirit of destruction and ultra violence without crossing that line.I also felt that over-the-top blood could come off as juvenile if not executed well, and we wanted the game to have an antagonistic force that aligned with the fun, humorous vibe of our team. I suggested slime enemies as a solution, and after some brainstorming with the team, the Blubs were born. These low-cost, lab-created, disposable enemies, originally designed for experiments, took over the lab after humans went extinct, where Abe still resides.As the project progressed, we grew attached to the Blubs. They became our quirky mascot. They were cute, funny, and the perfect vehicle for the splatter and chaos we wanted without it feeling too violent. Now, when they exploded and screamed in agony, it was all part of the fun, and players embraced it without a second thought.
Thanks for reading, cheers !
🎨 Inspirations
📝 Reflections & Lessons
For Mom
Burst Your Bubble! is a fast-paced, 2D pixel art 1v1 brawler where trigger happy bubbles armed with harpoons battle to be the last one floating. Outsmart, outshoot, and outmaneuver your rival as you float and harpoon your way to a nail-biting victory and burst your opponent's bubble. The crowd is itching for some high pressure action so get out there and give em a fight that really pops!
Created by Team 73
Vish Epa - Programmer
Pasha Stierle - Programmer
Ivan Plouganou - Programmer
Clara Ogston - Artist
Luvjot Chharahhan - Artist
Jordan Bzdel - Audio Designer
Peter Tran - Level Designer
Presentation
Gameplay
Designing Chaos with Intention
At Global Game Jam 2025, I helped make a fast-paced party brawler called Burst Your Bubble. I was the level designer, and going in, I had big ideas. I wanted to do something new and innovative, something that stood out.But once the clock started ticking, I had to let go of my ego. There just wasn’t time for overthinking. Instead, I focused on what felt good to play and tested constantly. I built a level with multiple routes, narrow chokepoints, and open chaos zones. I threw in teleporters for mind games and made sure the jump arcs and harpoon traps gave players tons of ways to create unpredictable moments.Of course, it only looked unpredictable. The design was driven by clear systems, which meant players still felt in control. That mix of tension and freedom gave skilled players the space to shine, while casual players could still have their big, cinematic win moments.As the jam wound down and other teams finished their games, people started walking around to try different projects. A lot of them came to ours and then came back multiple times after that. Some for revenge, others for the sheer fun of it. Seeing people crowd around our station, yelling and laughing as they played, was one of the best feelings I’ve had as a designer.Burst Your Bubble reminded me that good design doesn’t need to be loud. If people are lining up to play again, you know you did something right.
The Call
When my former classmates from VFS invited me to join them for the 2025 Global Game Jam, I jumped at the chance to collaborate with some of the most talented people I know. In less than 48 hours (and with little sleep), we created a game that not only we enjoyed but many others at the jam did too.Working under that kind of pressure brought back memories of our time on student projects. We had to move fast, but we worked efficiently and seamlessly as a team, blending our different disciplines and personalities to create something we were all proud of.I’m lucky to be surrounded by such talented friends who push me to be my best.
Haunted House
Lived in Spaces & Environmental Storytelling
Making a house creepy brings a lot of ideas to mind, but nothing quite unsettles me more than a man’s living space. Walking the delicate line between barren and messy was something I wanted to explore, adorned with dingy, flickering lights and piles of long-forgotten drinks.I also wanted to retain a sense of personality in the children's rooms, as a sign that they...don't live there anymore. In the son’s room specifically, I did research into what a crime scene might look like and built a space that suggested sinister happenings that followed the narrative beats I wanted to hit gameplay-wise.Since this was a horror experience, I focused heavily on gritty, eerie audio and visuals. Walking through a deranged lunatic’s house needed to feel lived-in and reflect his unravelling mental state. Creeky floorboards, dripping faucets, dim and unsettling lighting, and leading the player through tension-filled moments before the payoff of a jump scare played a huge part in delivering that feel. I had a lot of fun crafting these environments, each one designed to hold those tense, unsettling moments I craved as a horror fan myself.
Memories of Yheleanor
No combat? No Problem!
With Memories of Yheleanor, I set out to create the atmosphere of a village hastily abandoned, one where life had recently been lived, but now only traces remained. I wanted players to feel both the eeriness of absence and the quiet beauty of nature slowly reclaiming the space. Lighting and color were key tools in striking that contrast. The warmth amidst decay, serenity within tension.As a walking simulator, the game had no combat, meaning that movement and exploration were the core of the experience. Every moment had to be purposeful. I focused on crafting points of interest that naturally drew the player in, pacing their journey through tight paths, wide open spaces, and viewpoint reveals that offered subtle narrative beats.Designing for this kind of experience pushed me to think differently. Without dialogue or action mechanics to rely on, I leaned into environmental storytelling and visual language. Shapes, colors, and spatial composition became my way of guiding players emotionally and directionally. It was a challenge that deepened my understanding of how to use space to tell a story and how players would experience it.
Counter Strike 2: Abandoned Market
Sightlines, Landmarks, and Balancing
I wanted to challenge myself by practicing 2D layout design and whiteboxing under a short time frame. Choosing a tactical shooter like Counter-Strike 2 pushed me to think critically about gameplay balance and spatial clarity.Designing for both Terrorists and Counter-Terrorists meant that every element, from choke points and flank routes to bomb sites, had to feel fair, readable, and strategically rich. I focused on creating unique structures and cover placements that not only supported multiple playstyles but also encouraged creative decision-making.Throughout the process, I iterated based on imagined player behavior, ensuring each area could support a wide range of encounters, from tense 1v1s to full-on site takes. The result was a map that prioritized flow, visibility, and moment-to-moment tactical choices. If I had more time, I would’ve loved to continue playtesting and polishing it further, with full set dressing, lighting, the works. But alas, art is never finished, only abandoned :')
Gamba Gun
Collaborating Under Pressure
When my friend Nolan (Tech Artist from ESC/APE) commissioned me to do a trailer for his game in less than 2 days, I naturally was up for the challenge, as well as aiding my ol' brother in arms. Nolan is known for the "juice" he brings to his projects. I wanted to match that level of personality. He requested that the tone be ornery, and aside from that, I had free rein. I asked him for all the art, SFX, and music he could send me to get a sense of what I was working with. Without any footage, I had to record all of this myself. I'm no stranger to recording footage for games, but knowing Nolan, I asked for debug tools (like locking the camera or disabling the HUD) to make capturing the shots I wanted easier. This made my ideas for the trailer possible. And after 8 iterations and some back and forth, I presented him with this. I'm happy that he liked what I was able to make for him in such a short timeframe. Go check his game out on Steam!
Photography
Whether it's through virtual photography or real-life photography, I love capturing a moment in time. The chance to compose all those beautiful colours, shapes, and light into a single frame has always been satisfying to me. Oddly enough, it was when games started doing photo modes that photography piqued my interest again and made me fall in love with it in its entirety. I learned all the fundamentals and practiced them virtually and in real life, each one feeding back into the other. My photography skills bleed into my other passions, like game design, and remind me of how much I love all artistic crafts and how there's so much more to learn.
