I began early development on the first level design area, focusing on what will become the upper courtyard of the castle. This section serves as an important introductory environment for the player, so establishing a clear layout and a strong visual foundation was a priority.

Once the initial structure and layout for the courtyard were complete, I began testing the environment using the third-person character. During this phase, I encountered several scaling issues, particularly with how the character moved through and interacted with the space. Certain architectural elements felt either too large or too narrow, which impacted readability and overall gameplay flow.

To address this, I created multiple refined versions of the courtyard, each with more polished proportions and adjustments tailored to the character’s movement mechanics. These variations in designs allowed me to test different traversal scenarios, improve player guidance, and ensure the environment feels natural, functional, and visually cohesive as part of the castle’s upper level.