Open to opportunities

Paul Wetzel

@paulwetzel

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Narrative-driven game designer specializing in puzzle design, level blockouts, and quest development.

Germany

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What I'm looking for

I seek roles focused on narrative-led game design and puzzle/level creation within collaborative teams that value player-centered storytelling and iterative polish.

I am a narrative-driven game designer with hands-on experience in puzzle design, level blockouts, quest development, and playtesting across both solo and team projects. I blend storytelling and systems design to create playable worlds, having contributed to titles and prototypes in Unreal and Unity.

My work includes designing escape-room experiences, community levels, and combat encounters, plus producing reports and actionable improvements from software testing. I have collaborated on teams ranging from small indie groups to 30+ person productions and delivered design documentation, character work, and level layouts.

I hold a BSc in Creative Media & Game Technologies and am completing a professional acting course to strengthen character and performance design. I seek roles where I can shape player experiences through strong narrative hooks, cleverly integrated puzzles, and polished level design.

Experience

Work history, roles, and key accomplishments

Current

Puzzle Design Freelancer

Current

OSM Games

Jul 2025 - Present (5 months)

Designed puzzles and built level blockouts for a game in development, contributing playable prototypes and iterative level layouts to support early production milestones.

Puzzle Design Level Blockout Prototyping Unity Playtesting Level Layout Game Design

Game Design Intern

Sherlocked

Jul 2025 - Sep 2025 (2 months)

Designed escape room games and River Boat Quests across Amsterdam, creating puzzles, flow diagrams and player-facing materials to improve player experience.

Escape Room Design Puzzle Design Flowcharting Player Experience Playtesting Narrative Design Prototyping

Software Tester

Etteplan

Sep 2024 - Nov 2024 (2 months)

Tested and proposed design solutions for the company's Virtual Training Narrative Design Centre, reporting issues and recommending improvements to training scenarios.

Software Testing & QA Test Reporting Jira Test Plans

Narrative Designer

Fey Realm (team project)

Developed quests and levels as part of a 30+ person team for the project 'Alice through the Fey Realm', delivering narrative beats and quest design to support production goals.

Narrative Design Quest Design Collaboration Storytelling Unreal Engine Teamwork

Level Designer

Astrohaunt

Blocked out the second level of a haunted mansion and designed combat encounters for a shooter, delivering level layouts and encounter pacing to enhance player flow.

Level Layout Encounter Design Combat Pacing Unity Playtesting Collaboration

Combat/3Cs Designer

Camp Champ

Worked on a 16-person team to design a character controller and particle effects, shaping combat feel and core 3C systems for a local multiplayer game.

Combat Design Unity Team Collaboration Prototyping Jira

Puzzle Designer

Escape Simulator (personal project)

Designed a community level and puzzles for Escape Simulator as a solo self-study project, producing complete puzzle sequences and level layouts to demonstrate design skills.