Released Project
A solo-developed first-person horror project created from concept to Steam release, combining game design, technical systems, level production, optimization and publishing.
Protocol Nightmare began as a college project and evolved into a complete first-person survival horror game released on Steam. The project became the foundation of Buzolin Studio and the first major proof of production for the studio.
Every part of the game was developed by one person: gameplay systems, enemy logic, level design, UI, lighting, audio integration, optimization, packaging, Steam preparation and the overall creative direction.
This section presents the main systems, tools and development areas built or configured during production. The goal is to show the project as a complete development case, not only as a released game.
Thirteen monsters were configured with individual behavior patterns, speeds, perception rules, difficulty levels, sounds and game over logic.
The game was structured around time progression, tasks, sanity, skills, puzzles, escape logic and escalating difficulty from 22:00 to 06:00.
The player controller was built for a first-person horror experience, including movement, interaction, camera behavior and animation compatibility.
The animation pipeline used Unreal animation systems, retargeting, Mixamo assets and manually created jumpscare moments for specific encounters.
The school map was designed with exploration, secret passages, environmental storytelling and difficulty variations that change tasks, monsters, puzzles and routes.
The visual identity was built with manually adjusted horror lighting, atmosphere, post-processing and real-time rendering features inside Unreal Engine 5.
The complete interface was created for the project, including menus, HUD elements, tutorial flow, settings, credits, win screen and game over screen.
The audio setup used spatial sound, monster-specific cues, footsteps, breathing, environment sounds and random horror events to increase tension.
The project went through strong optimization, reducing an early prototype of approximately 25 GB into a published version of approximately 800 MB.
The match starts at 22:00 and ends at 06:00. Every hour increases the danger by releasing new monsters and pushing the player to complete objectives while navigating the school.
Tasks, special tasks, skills, sanity, puzzles and escape routes work together to create pressure. If sanity reaches zero, all monsters are released. At 06:00, only one of three doors opens, making the final escape part of the tension.
Definition of the horror premise, school setting, core loop, monster concept and experience goals.
Implementation of first-person movement, enemy encounters, time progression, sanity, tasks and base interaction systems.
Expansion of AI, animations, UI, audio, lighting, level design, puzzles and gameplay progression into a full playable structure.
Performance passes, packaging, localization, Steam page preparation, testing and release of the final build.
Because the project was made solo, every discipline had to be learned, tested, implemented and improved during development. The main challenge was balancing ambition with performance, clarity and a releasable scope.
Creating different monsters that feel dangerous while still giving the player readable moments to react, hide, run or change route.
Organizing tasks, monsters, doors, secret passages, difficulty levels and progression without turning the project impossible to finish alone.
Reducing the project size and improving performance through asset optimization, texture adjustments, rendering decisions and packaging cleanup.
The project required multiple Unreal Engine workflows, covering gameplay scripting, AI, animation, UI, audio, lighting, physics, cinematics, navigation and optimization.
Protocol Nightmare represents the transition from learning game development to shipping a complete project. It proved that Buzolin Studio can create, finish, optimize and publish a game while building a technical base for future horror projects, updates and larger productions.
