40 SOULS team is looking for a Senior Level Designer who will take charge of developing levels (combat arenas). In the future, after successful work on the demo, the candidate could lead the level design department of the project and mentor other level designers.

Tasks and Responsibilities

• Designing Game Arenas: Plan and block out dynamic combat locations for car battles. This includes thoughtful layout design considering balance, combat rhythm, and player navigation. You will determine placement of cover and obstacles, enemy spawn points, routes for driving, etc., ensuring that battles feel thrilling yet fair.
• Technical Level Implementation: In collaboration with a technical artist, optimize locations for Unreal Engine. This involves partitioning the level into streaming zones, setting up basic lighting, and keeping an eye on performance. You must account for Unreal Engine’s technical constraints and specifics when creating locations.
• Iteration and Improvement: Work closely with the game designer, art director, and tech artist at all stages. Conduct in-game testing of arenas, gather feedback and gameplay data, and swiftly iterate on level designs to improve balance and player experience. Continuously refine levels to the required quality through iterative polish.

Candidate Requirements

• Experience & Portfolio: ~5+ years of experience as a level designer. Participation in at least one completed project is preferred. Experience in action/shooter or racing genres is a big plus – understanding the nuances of level design for fast-paced combat (ideally vehicular combat).
• Unreal Engine Proficiency: Confident working in UE5. Knowledge of level-building tools, landscape creation, and lighting within Unreal. Basic familiarity with Blueprints is expected.
• Deep Understanding of Level Design: Solid grasp of principles for creating engaging play spaces. Know how to balance levels for combat (timing and pacing of encounters, enemy and object placement, player routes) and build levels that are readable and intuitive for players.
• Teamwork: Strong communication skills and the ability to work effectively with other disciplines (game design, art, technical art, environment art). Willingness to accept feedback and collaboratively improve the product.
• Independence: Ability to take responsibility for your area of work and drive a level from concept to final quality. Proactive in suggesting improvements to game spaces and capable of planning and managing your own tasks.
• Additionally Welcome: Experience with procedural generation or modular level design (to create arena variety), and understanding the specifics of roguelite games. It’s also a plus if you have basic gameplay scripting skills or experience with lighting and scene optimization.

Benefits

• Portfolio cases: Throughout development we compile collaborative case studies for our portfolio and publish them along with team members.
• Remote & Flexible Schedule: Work is fully remote. We are open to both full-time involvement or just a few hours per week. We understand the project is non-commercial at the moment, so we’re willing to accommodate your primary job and discuss a cooperation format that suits you.
• Great Team & Atmosphere: No toxicity – only open dialogue, clear tasks, and constructive feedback. You’ll be working with an enthusiastic team of like-minded people focused on quality and results.
• Growth & Prospects: This is an opportunity to join a project at an early stage and grow with it. After a successful demo, we plan to secure funding, expand the team, and transition to paid development. In the future, you’ll have the chance to lead the level design direction and influence the game’s development.

About the company

40 SOULS is a combat roguelite about vehicular battles in a world where corporations and cults, under the watch of cruel gods, hold a sacrificial tournament. The player goes on “runs” through various zones and arenas, fights waves of enemies and bosses, makes choices between battles, and upgrades their combat vehicle with new weapons, modules, and other enhancements.

The project is currently in the development of a demo version and preparation for an investor pitch. At this stage, participation is unpaid. After the demo, we plan to attract investment and transition to paid development.
The team consists of about 35 people, including experienced specialists from AA/AAA projects. The visual component is largely complete, so it’s now crucial to strengthen the level design direction and technical implementation to create a high-quality demo.