Deserted

Unreal Engine 5 game — custom level design, Blueprint scripting, and original gameplay

Game Dev Unreal Engine 5 In Development Solo Project

At a Glance

Status

Prototype / In Progress

Started

Jan 2026 — ongoing

Team Size

Solo

My Role

Designer · Developer

Engine

Unreal Engine 5

Public Repo

Not available (see below)

Tech Stack

Unreal Engine 5.0.3 C++ Blueprints Visual Studio 2022

About the Project

Deserted is an Unreal Engine 5 game I started following a Udemy course to learn the basics of UE5 development, then continued building independently once I had a grounding in the engine fundamentals. It is a solo project I keep working on outside of coursework.

The project is an ongoing creative and technical challenge — it is where I explore game-systems thinking, 3D environment design, and the Unreal toolchain at a deeper level than coursework provides.

What I Built

  • Custom level environment designed from the ground up in UE5's World Partition editor
  • Controllable Pawn class with movement mechanics implemented in C++
  • Gameplay management (sound effects, camera delay)
  • Lighting, atmosphere, and environmental storytelling passes

Screenshots & Media

Deserted — World environment overview showing level design in Unreal Engine 5
Level Environment — Overview

Wide view of the main level environment built in UE5's World Partition editor.

Proves: Level Design · Environmental Art
Deserted — World lighting and atmosphere pass in Unreal Engine 5
Environment Lighting Pass

A scene highlighting lighting and atmosphere design choices.

Proves: Visual Polish · Art Direction
Deserted — Blueprint editor showing Camera and Bird scripting logic
Blueprint Graph — Camera & Bird

A look inside the Blueprint editor showing camera and character scripting.

Proves: Blueprint Scripting · Technical Depth

Gameplay Video

Challenges & What I Learned

Learning the UE5 ecosystem

Unreal Engine has a steep learning curve. Starting with a structured Udemy course gave me a foundation, but real progress came from experimenting and breaking things on my own — understanding how the engine manages assets, how the renderer works, and how C++ classes integrate with Blueprint inheritance.

Scope management as a solo developer

Without a team to set boundaries, scope creep is a constant risk. I'm practising defining clear milestones and shipping small, playable builds rather than waiting for a "complete" product.

Next Steps

  • Expand the world with more areas, assets, and environmental detail
  • Add more gameplay features and objectives for the player to complete
  • Implement a main menu and save system
  • Polish player feedback (sound, camera, UI indicators)
  • Explore packaging for Windows distribution