ALEXANDRE CHAVES
LEVEL DESIGN PORTFOLIO
SENIOR / TECHNICAL LEVEL DESIGNER
UNREAL ENGINE / UNITY

DESIGNINGPLAYABLEworlds.

My approach to Level Design prioritizes playability, spatial metrics, and player guidance, establishing a strong foundation for narrative design and environment art.

SCROLL TO EXPLORE ↓

Andromeda Unreal Engine Blockout

Created as my final assignment for CGMA's Level Design course, Andromeda demonstrates my approach to building playable spaces through environmental storytelling, player guidance, and blockout modeling. It shows how I develop and refine a level using a limited set of tools.

DESIGNARTTECHNICAL IMPLEMENTATION
  • Design: Mission Design
  • Design: Level Design
  • Design: Puzzle Design
  • Art: Blockout Modeling
  • Art: Lighting Setup
  • Art: World Atmosphere
  • Technical Implementation: Blueprint Scripting
  • Technical Implementation: Character Integration
  • Technical Implementation: UI Systems
  • Technical Implementation: Asset Integration

Shipped Levels.

A selection of my shipped work showcasing both creative and technical Level Design. My experience ranges from adapting and improving existing levels to designing and delivering original levels throughout the entire production cycle, from initial concept and blockout to final implementation and polish.

A level design ideashipped levelTIER 0TIER 1
PRINCIPAL LEVEL DESIGNER

Tomb Raider I–III Remastered

Owned enemy and level modifications for Challenge Mode across the trilogy, from new encounters to enemy CR balancing.

TTK / COMBAT BALANCING / ENCOUNTER DESIGNREAD CASE STUDY
TECHNICAL LEVEL DESIGNER

UFO Robot Grendizer

Optimized six landscape levels for Nintendo Switch through World Streaming, environmental occlusion, and performance profiling.

WORLD STREAMING / UNITY / PROFILINGREAD CASE STUDY
GAME DIRECTOR / LEAD DESIGNER

Tetragon

Created Tetragon and designed all 42 puzzles, leading its level design, narrative, and creative direction from concept to release.

PUZZLES / PROGRESSION / DIRECTIONREAD CASE STUDY
MORE LEVELSSHOW LESS
FREELANCE LEVEL DESIGNER

Mana Spark

Designed modular rooms and enemy encounters for Mana Spark, a Unity top-down roguelike. Defined topology, enemy placement, and difficulty across three room sizes and three difficulty layers, iterating through Unity playtests and creative-direction review.

MODULAR ROOMS / ENEMY PLACEMENT / UNITYREAD CASE STUDY
FREELANCE LEVEL DESIGNER

Arena of Dreams

Created two released minigames for 32 players, defining systems, pacing, and goals from prototype to production-ready blockout.

MINIGAME DESIGN / PROTOTYPING / BLOCKOUTREAD CASE STUDY

Blockout studies.

Playable spaces before final art. A closer look at the layouts, progression, and visual direction behind my level studies.

  1. 01

    Tomb of Osiris

    ORIGINAL BLOCKOUT / TOMB OF OSIRIS01 / 03
    Third-person blockout view down a torchlit tomb staircase, with red enemy placeholders and a scarab landmark above the doorway.
    Staircase corridor
    Open walkthrough on YouTube
    STUDY 01 / ADVENTURE HORROR

    The last tomb of Osiris has been found, but humanity is not alone.

    Inspired by Tomb Raider and Dead Space, this adventure-horror level takes the player through an ancient tomb inhabited by dangerous creatures. My goal was a linear experience where lock-and-key challenges drive progression.

    1. 01

      Linear Journey, Open & Closed Spaces

      I designed a linear adventure that alternates open areas and enclosed tomb interiors. The route connects exploration, puzzles, and potential encounters into a continuous narrative experience.

    2. 02

      Lock-and-Key Progression

      Locks and keys control progression through the tomb. I built puzzles and added collectibles to give players interactive goals along the route.

      Original progression sketch: tomb entry and lock-and-key puzzle, a gate to the Pharaoh room and secret tomb, staircase corridor with enemies, boss arena, and end room.
      ORIGINAL LAYOUT SKETCH / OPEN TO ENLARGE
    3. 03

      Atmosphere & Procedural Blockout

      I used procedural techniques to speed up blockout creation and establish a consistent visual language. The environment communicates the intended mood and sense of place so artists can understand the direction before final art.

    4. 04

      Combat Spaces & Enemy Placeholders

      I placed enemy placeholders to explore potential combat spaces and how threats could occupy the layout. These stand-ins express encounter intent within the blockout.

    LEVEL DESIGN STUDY / BLOCKOUT CAPTURES & ORIGINAL DESIGN SKETCH

  2. 02

    The Oru's Temple

    ORIGINAL BLOCKOUT / THE ORU'S TEMPLE01 / 05
    Archer blockout character aiming toward a yellow gate in a temple garden with stone carvings, vines, and raised walkways.
    Temple garden & gate
    Open walkthrough on YouTube
    STUDY 02 / NON-LINEAR ADVENTURE

    Konibú, a young archer searching for his missing sister, follows her trail to Oru’s temple.

    Inspired by Tomb Raider, Uncharted, and Zelda, this adventure level is divided into two non-linear sections: the temple exterior and interior. I explored how intimate spaces, environmental storytelling, and puzzles could support the search.

    1. 01

      Two Non-Linear Sections

      I divided the level into the outside and inside of the temple. Both sections support non-linear exploration, with connections between the approach, temple rooms, and garden shown in the original layout sketch.

      Original non-linear layout sketch connecting the start area, jungle river, temple room with a gate key, temple garden, main room, and two upper rooms.
      ORIGINAL LAYOUT SKETCH / OPEN TO ENLARGE
    2. 02

      Intimate Spaces & Narrative

      I explored intimate spaces that invite players to investigate their surroundings and connect with the story. The environment supports Konibú’s search for his sister through exploration rather than a purely linear route.

    3. 03

      Locks, Keys & Discoveries

      I created lock-and-key puzzles and placed collectibles and notes throughout the level. These give exploration interactive goals and opportunities to discover narrative details.

    4. 04

      Visual Direction for Environment Art

      The blockout establishes the mood and sense of place so artists can understand what the environment is about. Architecture, enclosed spaces, and vegetation communicate the intended character of the temple.

    5. 05

      Procedural Vines & Brick Blocks

      I created procedural assets, including vines and brick blocks, to speed up the blockout process while developing the visual language of the level.

    LEVEL DESIGN STUDY / BLOCKOUT CAPTURES & ORIGINAL DESIGN SKETCH

About Alexandre Chaves.

Alexandre Chaves, Senior and Technical Level Designer

13+ years turning gameplay ideas into playable worlds.

PC / CONSOLE / MOBILE

I'm Alexandre Chaves, a Senior / Technical Level Designer working across PC, console, and mobile. My work spans combat encounters, spatial puzzles, multiplayer minigames, and technical optimization, from early concepts and blockouts through implementation and playtesting.

I designed all 42 Tetragon puzzles and led its creative direction, created enemy encounters for Tomb Raider Challenge Mode, optimized Grendizer landscapes for Nintendo Switch, and delivered two released Arena of Dreams minigames.

I currently work as a Senior Game Designer / Level Designer. My experience connects hands-on level creation with cross-disciplinary collaboration and creative leadership.

Level Design · Combat & Puzzle Design · Technical Optimization
Unreal Engine · Unity · Blueprints · C#

Connect with Alexandre Chaves on LinkedIn

DOWNLOAD PDF
CURRICULUM VITAE / LEVEL DESIGN

Alexandre J Lima Filho