Leveldesign

Level design in Istvanyr focuses on guiding players through the island naturally, without breaking immersion. The terrain itself shapes the flow: coastal cliffs create narrow, traversal paths, while the central mountains open into layered environments that reward exploration with hidden routes and vantage points.

Landmarks—tower ruins, unique rock formations, and the rising silhouette of the southern city—serve as visual anchors that help players orient themselves.

Every region provides meaningful choices, different quests and enemy types and thus a unique experience every time. In this way, Istvanyr’s level design supports exploration, storytelling, and player agency all at once.

Environmental Storytelling 

Istvanyr tells its history through the world itself. Crumbling coastal watchtowers hint at past conflicts, while ancient runes carved into stone reveal the beliefs of the island’s ancestors. In the southern city, worn streets, soot-marked walls, and improvised stalls show how trade and struggle shaped everyday life.

Further inland, overgrown paths, abandoned mines, and marked cave entrances quietly illustrate the rise and fall of those who once lived and worked there. Every corner of Istvanyr offers a piece of its story—waiting for players to discover it without a single spoken word.

The City of Istvanyr

The Great City stands as the heart of Istvanyr, stretching from the southern coast toward the island’s center. Its lower districts cluster around the harbor, where crowded markets, workshops, and narrow streets reflect the city’s role as a hub of trade and movement. As one travels inward and upward, the architecture grows more structured and imposing, revealing clear social and political divisions.

At the city’s highest and most protected point rises the palace, visible from nearly every district. Its elevated position and broad approaches reinforce its authority, while walls, plazas, and controlled access routes separate it from the chaos below. The palace not only serves as the seat of power but also as a strong visual landmark, guiding players through the city and symbolizing the central control that defines the Great City of Istvanyr.

The Forgotten Valley

Hidden beyond the central mountain range, the Forgotten Valley is a place abandoned by time and memory. Once shaped by human presence, it now lies silent, reclaimed by nature. Broken stone paths disappear beneath tall grass, and collapsed structures hint at a settlement long erased from history. The valley feels isolated and untouched, cut off from the rest of Istvanyr by steep cliffs and narrow passes.

Environmental clues—rusted tools, weathered shrines, and traces of old defenses—suggest that something important was once protected here. The valley’s open layout contrasts with its oppressive atmosphere, inviting exploration while constantly reminding the player that this place was not forgotten by accident.