Psychological Horror · Unreal Engine · C++ · Blueprints
Stillness Below is an independent psychological horror game being developed under NovaHelm Studios.
The game follows Adam as he searches for his sister inside St. Mercy Hospital, where the boundary between reality and his deteriorating perception becomes increasingly difficult to distinguish.
Development
I’m responsible for the game’s:
- Gameplay programming
- Unreal Engine systems
- AI
- Interaction systems
- Animation systems
- Level and gameplay implementation
- Technical architecture
- Performance investigation
Technical Direction
The project is built in Unreal Engine with a focus on maintaining a scalable gameplay architecture while targeting a broad range of hardware.
I’m particularly interested in understanding and improving the systems behind the game rather than relying solely on Blueprint-level implementation.
Current areas of technical investigation include:
- Gameplay architecture
- AI performance
- Animation and IK
- Interaction systems
- CPU profiling
- Unreal Insights
- C++ gameplay programming
Project Snapshot
- Studio: NovaHelm Studios
- Status: In development
- Engine: Unreal Engine
- Focus: Atmospheric exploration, AI-driven encounters, environmental storytelling, systemic gameplay
Design
The game’s design focuses on:
- Psychological horror
- Exploration
- Environmental storytelling
- Stealth
- Atmospheric tension
- Narrative-driven encounters
The project is currently undergoing continued design work, particularly around its core gameplay and narrative identity.
Current Status
Stillness Below is actively in development.
Technical implementation is currently being kept deliberately stable while I deepen my Unreal Engine C++ knowledge. The next major technical phase will involve reviewing and restructuring existing systems based on what I’ve learned.