LEYLA FLACHS

Game Designer

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A little about me

Designing worlds.
Creating experiences.

I specialise in UI design, level design, gameplay, and systems design. I graduated in 2025 with a Bachelor's degree in Game Development (Game Design), and I'm excited to keep learning and gaining experience in the industry. I primarily work in Unity, with previous experience using Unreal Engine as well.

Throughout my studies, I created a variety of games, but I'm especially drawn to narrative-driven experiences. I love interactive storytelling and designing worlds that players can connect with, understand, and feel part of.

Outside of making games, I love playing them! Some of my favourites include story-rich worlds like Baldur's Gate 3 and Cyberpunk 2077. I also enjoy competitive games like Marvel Rivals, particularly its creative, interactive level design.

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MY WORK

Check out the games I have worked on throughout my studies!

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Breaking Point

Mechanics · Narrative · UI · Team Management · Design

This was my final major project proof of concept for my Bachelor's Degree in Game Design.

Breaking Point is a 3D story-driven game about climbing Mount Everest.

Final major project · Game design

August In Maplewood

Mechanics · Narrative · UI · Design

This was a small project proof of concept during the course of my studies.

August In Maplewood is a 2.5D murder mystery game where players keep track of clues to figure out what happened in their small town.

Study project · Murder mystery

Carlos The Penguin!

Mechanics · Level Design

This was one of my first projects during the course of my studies.

Carlos The Penguin! is a 2D platformer where you must reach the igloo before the 10 second timer reaches 0 to go to the next level.

Study project · 2D platformer

And more*

There is more to explore. Visit the full portfolio to discover additional projects, prototypes, and design work.

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What I bring to a team

Technical & Design Skills.

Technical Skills

UnityUnreal EngineC#Google DocsVisual StudioExcel & SpreadsheetsAsepriteVersion Control

DEVELOPMENT & PRODUCTION

Design Skills

PrototypingUI & UX DesignLevel DesignNarrative DesignDetailed DocumentationMenu layout design & implementationDialogue SystemsMechanics & gameplay design2D Pixel Art Assets

EXPERIENCE & INTERACTION

A look in motion

Showreel

A short showcase of my projects, process, and design work.

Showreel video placeholder · Add your video here

More projects

Keep exploring

There's more to discover.

Take a closer look at my portfolio for more projects, design breakdowns, and the thinking behind each experience.

Explore the projects

Outside of game design

Hobbies & Inspirations

The interests and creative rabbit holes that keep me curious and influence the way I think about games.

GamingExploring different genres, systems, stories, and player experiences.

StorytellingEnjoying character-driven stories, worldbuilding, and narrative choices.

Creative projectsExperimenting with ideas, learning new tools, and making things just for fun.

Explore My Creative Projects

Overview

A promise at the top of the world.

In Breaking Point, you step into the shoes of Alice, a serious, determined climber who wants to fulfill a promise with the person she loves most: her husband, Phillip, who is climbing alongside her. Witty and reassuring, Phillip brings lightness to even the harshest moments of their journey.

Together, they face the brutal beauty of the world's tallest mountain, where every step tests more than their physical limits.

As the altitude rises, so do the stakes. A past mistake has fractured Alice's confidence, leaving her dependent on Phillip's steady voice to guide her forward. Players must navigate both the treacherous path ahead and Alice's inner struggle with self-doubt and trust.

Breaking Point is more than survival. It's a story about connection, resilience, and the unspoken battles we carry within us.

Features & design focus

Story-driven 3D climbing experience set on Mount Everest
Character-focused narrative about connection, self-doubt, resilience, and trust
Gameplay and level design shaped around a dangerous mountain ascent
Player-facing interface and scripted narrative moments

My contributions

I worked across design, implementation, UI, and team coordination, helping bring the game's mechanics and player-facing systems together into a cohesive experience.

UI & interface design

Designed the game's UI, including the main menu and settings menus
Created dialogue UI, tips UI, keybinds, and settings for options such as volume
Designed UI animations and the journal / quest log
Built the oxygen and energy interface to communicate important player resources

Gameplay systems & programming

Worked on the dialogue system and branching dialogue trees
Implemented the quick-time event (QTE) system
Developed the inventory system, save/load mechanic, and level-loading flow
Worked on the day-and-night system and player-death flow
Helped connect the game's mechanics so the systems worked together
Synced player animations with movement

Audio, cinematics & level design

Implemented music and sound effects using FMOD
Worked on cinematic sequences and some level design
Contributed to bug fixing and overall polish

Writing & team collaboration

Contributed to script writing and narrative implementation
Helped manage the team and coordinate work across different areas of development

These responsibilities span both creative design and technical implementation, from shaping the player experience through menus and feedback to connecting gameplay systems and supporting the final polish.

Design & development showcase

From interface design to gameplay systems

Selected in-game screenshots highlighting the interfaces and systems I designed and implemented for Breaking Point. Select an image to view it at full size.

Breaking Point main menu with mountain campsite — **Main menu** — Menu layout, navigation and presentation.

Breaking Point settings menu — **Settings** — Settings interface and navigation for controls, brightness and audio.

Phillip speaking through the dialogue interface — **Dialogue system** — Character dialogue UI and narrative implementation.

Open journal with narrative text and quest objective — **Journal & quest log** — Story presentation and objective tracking.

Inventory slots over mountain environment — **Inventory** — Item slots and gameplay UI integration.

Ready to take the climb?

Play Breaking Point

Check out the project on itch.io.

View game on itch.io

LEYLA FLACHS

Designing worlds.
Creating experiences.