John Hsia

Game Designer

20+ years of combined experience in game design, from personal projects to AAA titles.

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Asgard's Wrath 2

Asgard's Wrath 2 key art

On Asgard's Wrath 2 I had the privilege of working as the lead level designer. I managed the level designers working on the story levels, hub worlds, and the Uncharted Rift game mode. I'm grateful for the success; amazed by our achievements we as a team accomplished together while at Sanzaru.

  • Worked with directors to create the initial level process plan.
  • Created the level design blockout tile set, used throughout the project.
  • Managed 8 ICs at the peak of the project, and supporting XFN designers on Uncharted Rift and Cosmic Events (Live Ops).
    • Bi-weekly 1:1 with each IC, and weekly team meetings to review content.
      • Discuss blocking issues, go over setups, allow team to give feedback and guidance.
  • Met bi-weekly with directors to align priority and level review.
  • IC work:
    • Blocked in large portions of our initial hub world the Great Sand Sea.
    • Did the initial pitch and writeup of our rogue-lite mode the Uncharted Rift.
      • Wrote documentation to support design implementation and progression setup.
      • Prototyping work with Principle Engineer to build out the core system.
      • Created the template for layout size and requirements for other designers to work on Uncharted Rift content.
      • Creative workflow process which allowed us to create more variations within the same layout without much overhead and lighting constraints.
      • Worked closely with the system designer, and design director on the main core loop.
      • Created a large majority of the modular layouts for the first two themes featured in Uncharted Rift Mode.
    • Created various monster dens scattered throughout the hub worlds, which includes layout, combat, puzzle setup and traversal.
    • Design support of our proprietary culling system. Along with our main Sr. LD on the hub worlds we optimized every nook to run performant on device.
    • Near the end of the project I took over fixing critical save/load game breaking issues across multiple levels.

Full Gameplay

Asgard's Wrath 2 | Accolades Trailer

Asgard's Wrath

Promotional key art for Asgard's Wrath featuring fantasy heroes against a snowy mountain landscape

My role on the project was game designer, which covered all aspects of design, from levels, prop creation, and combat/quest scripting. One of the more technical design teams I've been on, where all the designers were very hands on in prototyping and sometimes even final implementation.

  • Entire level process from start to finish, taking each level from blockout to final setup/polish.
    • Working with my lead and design director on a weekly basis.
    • Playtest sessions with other designers to get feedback and guidance.
    • Level review with my artist multiple times per week going over changes and suggestions.
    • Working with production to get all the assets needed for my levels.
  • Worked on multiple labyrinth levels for the game, which were optional dungeons hidden throughout the game's various sagas.
    • Virgin Labyrinth, Halls of the Dead, and Valley of Trials.
    • Assisted on initial layout for Abandoned Dungeon.
  • Main story level includes Bifrost onboarding level, Hel's Old Keep part of Saga 4, as well as levels in Valley of Jotnar part of Saga 5.
  • Combat scripting for levels, included waypoint setup, wave setup and conditional setups through our spawner sequencer prop.
  • Level scripting involved writing our own level state condition loop, checking and setting props into their correct states.
  • Additional scripting also involved setting up our complex (at the time) proprietary culling system called Player Space.

Work sample
Bifrost tutorial level

  • In UE, I scripted the entire flow/sequence, and created all interactable props for the Bifrost tutorial.
    • This involved use of proprietary prop movement component and animations I got from animators.
    • Requesting all the BP hooks I would need from engineering to make the flow work.
    • Worked with cross-functional teams and implemented final art into the props created for the level.
    • Props included the rising floor tiles, sconces, the male/female stones, rising pillars/distant structure, and the Bifrost dome/interior structure.

Halls of the Dead

  • A linear level by design, with the focus of combat and action puzzle type setups.
    • Varied use of elevation for combat and puzzles.
    • Small loop around within the starting area.
    • Hero environment asset to help guide the player.
    • Puzzles involving both hero and follower.
    • Mixing up the bruiser battle with knee-high water (not in this video).

Hel's Old Keep

  • One of the main story levels from Saga 4, featuring the hero Stikkan the Smuggler, and the follower Rolf.
  • Prototyped Rolf's follower ability which was used to shatter the crystals with his howl.
  • Prototyped and took all puzzle props in the level into final polish.
  • Built multiple setups that utilized Rolf's ability, and created back and forth gameplay between God and Follower.

Sonic Boom: Shattered Crystal + Sonic Boom: Fire and Ice

Promotional key art for Sonic Boom: Fire and Ice with Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Amy, and Sticks against fire and ice

I was one of three level designers on the 2nd project, and on Shattered Crystal we only had 2 level designers not counting the lead. I can't even recall some of the levels I worked on ;) — here are some clips I found on YT that best showcase the levels I did work on.

  • Created story mainline levels and all race levels for Shattered Crystal.
  • Focused on story mainline levels for Fire and Ice.
  • Helped create all the modular blockout tiles used in the game.
  • Camera setup using proprietary tools in Maya.
  • Input recording for the race mode in Shattered Crystal. There was no real AI and was all recorded gameplay by me.
  • Focus of all levels was on flow and momentum. Some of this is highlighted by the amazing player in the YT video which best showcases what's possible when the player knows the metrics.

Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time

Sly Cooper in a rooftop twilight scene with stylized city architecture, key art for Thieves in Time

I started at Sanzaru Games as a contract designer back in 2011. It was a company I would work at for the next 15 years! On Sly I had the opportunity to work on the Paris tutorial level and the final level that led to the end game boss fight with Cyrille Le Paradox.

  • Took over the Paris level that was started by another designer. Reworked the level layout and flow to better pace the tutorials.
  • Mission scripting using XML style scripting language, along with combat scripting, and camera scripting/spline setups.
  • Had regular level reviews with the game director, and synced up weekly with my artist, as well as animators working on IGCs within the level.

Paris Intro

Paris End